Merging Pathways
by Eternity sword
Summary: Zuko was the enemy. That had been obvious to Katara from the moment he had attacked her village. But when she finds herself trapped with him after the Siege of the Northern Water Tribe, she finds herself questioning who he really is, and if he really is the enemy she thought he was, while he comes to question his own enmity with her. Post season 1. Zutara. Not exactly a capture fic
1. Part 1 Chapter 1: Day Four

**So, hello everyone. Quick intro (the only author's note at the top of the page, I promise!  
This IS a Zutara fic. If you hate Zutara, you've been warned. Please do not post any reviews saying how much you hate Zutara. It's stupid, and rude. I don't go to Kataang fics and bash them, please do not do that here.**

 **This isn't exactly a capture fic...by which I mean that Katara does not want to be with Zuko, but she isn't exactly being held against her will. Want to know what that means? Read the fic!**

 **Part 1: There Is No War On A Raft**

Chapter 1: Day Four

Katara was slow to wake that morning, and even slower to wake to awareness. Even as she slowly came out of her sleep, she still spent a while drifting in the limbo between dreams and reality; one moment she would awaken, and think about how much she probably should get up and prepare breakfast for the others ( _Tui and La, I have to teach Sokka how to cook eventually. And how to sew. Aang, too. What would they ever do if something happens to me?_ ), and the next moment she'd would slip back into slumber. Even though Katara was wearing her parka, she still felt a chill in the air, enhanced by the breeze brushing against her ( _Appa must be going really slow…usually the wind feels much faster when Appa flies_ , she thought, before drifting off to sleep again).

It was a little while longer before she began to awake again. She felt more than a little tired−she was exhausted, depleted of energy…she hoped she wasn't getting sick again. The experience with the frozen frogs had been really annoying…and really disgusting. But, to her knowledge, Sokka and Aang were both fine, so even if she was getting sick, it wouldn't be as much of a nuisance. Rest would be the most important thing.

And Katara drifted off again.

* * *

The next time Katara began to wake up, awareness came more than the previous times. She could feel the movements beneath her. She could smell the salt water. She could hear the water…why would Appa be in the water?

The past several weeks came back to her quickly−finding the Northern Water Tribe, fighting with Master Pakku, learning waterbending…the siege…the moon spirit…

Katara was fully awake and aware now, and she opened her eyes, sitting up. Looking forward, all she saw was the ocean, beautiful, blue, and, as far as she could see, never-ending. She turned her head to look to her left.

Her eyes widened and she leapt up to her feet, assuming the best waterbending stance she could. "You!" she shouted at the Fire Nation Prince who had, until then, been sitting and facing away from her. Hearing her get up, the scarred prince had begun to stand up and turn to face her−but before he was fully standing, Katara had blasted him off the raft with a powerful stream of water. She allowed herself a small smirk−the firebender's surprised shout, combined with the splash of him falling into the ocean had to be one of the most satisfying sounds Katara had ever heard.

"Zuko!" Katara turned to see the old man that had accompanied the Fire Nation prince. She prepared to fight him, but memories tugged her hands down.

 _"Whatever you do to that spirit, I will unleash upon you tenfold! LET IT GO, NOW!"_

The old man, despite being Fire Nation (and a general, at that), had tried to protect the Moon Spirit from Zhao. He had even attacked several of the Fire Nation soldiers present. He had been the one to realize that Yue could save them all. Perhaps, Katara considered, the old man wasn't so bad.

Then again, he had been with Zuko as he chased them from one pole to the other. And he was, apparently, a general. He had probably helped mastermind the attack, along with many others. Just because he hadn't wanted Zhao to kill the Moon Spirit, didn't mean he was trustworthy. All it really meant was that he wasn't crazy enough to think that _killing the moon_ was a good idea. Katara raised her hand as the saw the old man move, but he went right past her, apparently entirely unconcerned by the waterbender that had just thrown the prince off the raft. He only cared about getting to the edge, where the prince had grabbed onto. Katara watched him pull the hot-headed prince back onto the raft.

Whereas the old general didn't seem bothered by her, Prince Zuko was clearly furious. Katara saw him glare at her as he stood up, sopping wet, and literally steaming as he pulled his hands into a fist. Katara only returned his glare, and with a graceful movement of her wrists, pulled another stream from the ocean, ready to fight him again. He, in turn, took a stance, and prepared to strike.

Before either of them could make a move, the old man stepped between them, putting his hand on Prince Zuko's shoulder. "Enough. This is not the time or the place for a fight."

To Katara's surprise, Prince Zuko actually hesitated, and looked to the old man as he spoke. "I'm not starting it− _she_ attacked _me_!"

Katara opened her mouth, intending to snap back at him, but the old general was already speaking.

"Of course she attacked you−her past experiences with us have hardly been pleasant. Waking up here and seeing you must have been quite the shock. She was probably terrified, and reacted to a perceived threat." Katara wanted to deny that, wanted to tell the firebenders that she wasn't afraid of them…but they did scare her. She had seen how easily fire could snuff out lives. She had seen what fire left behind. They did scare her−but she could take Prince Zuko. She didn't know about the old general, but they were in the middle of the ocean. If it came to a fight, she had an overwhelming advantage.

But it didn't look like it was going to come to a fight. Katara was slightly amazed as she watched the old man talk to Zuko. One thing she knew about Zuko was that he tended to just charge forward, never giving up on his pursuits, and he would quickly charge into a fight. But he seemed to respect the old man, and after a few words, the Fire Prince just clenched his fists, and came out of his stance. Instead, Zuko just crossed his arms and avoided looking at her.

The old general turned to Katara, who was still holding the water up, prepared for a fight. He put his hands up in a peaceful gesture, and even offered Katara a smile. He took a step towards her. "We aren't going to fight you. It would be foolish and senseless. Foolish, because the environment gives you an unquestionable advantage. Senseless, because, for now at least, we are not enemies. We are all lost on this piece of driftwood. We should be cooperating to survive and find land."

Katara eyed him for a moment, and then dropped the water. She still glared at Zuko, who was too busy sulking to notice her.

"I don't think we've been properly introduced," the old man said, strangely cheerful. "My name is Iroh. Zuko is my nephew."

Katara raised an eyebrow. "You're kidding. You're prince hot-head's uncle?" She could hardly believe it−over the past couple minutes, the old general had increasingly proved himself level headed, friendly even. Katara could hardly believe that he could be related to Zuko.

But the old man just smiled even wider and nodded. "And what is your name?"

Katara hesitated. They may be stuck together on this driftwood, but they were still Fire Nation (Fire Nation royalty, at that). Still, it was just her name. What was the worst thing that could happen from her giving them her name? "Katara. My name is Katara."

"Katara. That's a lovely name. A lovely name for a lovely girl." Iroh was smiling kindly towards Katara and she decided to return it. He didn't seem so bad. Maybe, at least, he could keep his nephew in line. "And you've met my nephew, I believe."

Katara's small smile slipped and her eyes hardened as she looked at the Fire prince. "Yeah, we've met. You know, when he attacked my village. And when he stole my necklace and tied me to a tree. When he paralyzed my brother and I to use as bait−" Katara stopped and her eyes widened. It felt like a puzzle piece had just fallen into place. She felt so stupid for letting her guard down, even for a moment. Of course there was a plot. "That's what this is, isn't it?! That's why I'm here−you've kidnapped me again, trying to use me as bait!"

Zuko looked up from his sulking. "What?" His tone was indignant and shocked. Then his eyes narrowed and he was clearly angry again. "You seriously think I wanted you here? That I wanted to be stuck with you, in the middle of the ocean?! How stupid do you think I am?!"

"Pretty stupid!" she snapped back. Then she stepped back into a waterbending stance, thinking Zuko would attack her for the insult. Instead he just made a face, clenched his fists, and let a stream of fire escape his teeth as he growled.

"I should've let you drown!" he shouted, as he turned away and sat back down on the raft, facing away from her.

She heard Iroh let out a sigh, shaking his head. It occurred to Katara that he must deal with Zuko's attitude every day. He looked up over to her, and gestured to the other side of their raft. "I understand why you would assume that you are our prisoner, but I assure you that that is not the case. We have no power now. As I said before, we are drifting on this raft, hoping to find land…we have no need for a prisoner."

Katara hesitated. She looked over to Zuko. He had denied that she was a prisoner−in fact, he seemed to hate being stuck with her as much as she hated being stuck with him. But if that was the case…

"How…did I get here?"

Iroh sighed, frowning lightly. "You were hurt. Zuko found you, and saved you." Katara's eyebrows shot up, and Iroh began to explain.

* * *

 **Four Days Ago**

Zuko ran through the canals of the Northern Water Tribe. He knew he had to get out, and quickly−Zhao had already angered the Ocean Spirit, and now that the moon had returned, the Water Tribe's warriors would undoubtedly be on a warpath. Zuko had seen the Ocean Spirit lay waste to the fleet, but there were still other firebenders who had already been in the city, and Zuko could hear them fighting. He heard some of them shouting, ordering a retreat. That would be the smartest thing to do−by now, they were outnumbered, surrounded by the waterbenders' element, on the night of a full moon. But Zuko couldn't retreat. Not until he found his uncle. The entire plan had blown up in his face, like everything else in his life. He'd made it into the city easily enough, undetected. He hadn't been too surprised to see the Water Tribe Peasant; she'd been with the Avatar in nearly every encounter they'd had. Zuko had, admittedly, been surprised by how skilled she was. He knew she hadn't been that good any other time he'd seen her. She must have found a master, and taken well to the teaching. Once again, Zuko thought of Azula. That peasant girl was just like her…he had trained for years and years, and she managed to fight (he refused to call it defeat) him after mere _weeks_ of training.

Zuko felt it before anything happened. A chill passed through him, like a warning, and he heard a small groan as the ice beneath his feet started to crack and pull back. He turned around to see that a large gathering of waterbenders standing on a tall wall, working in synchronization as they performed some sort of waterbending move…a move that would be incredibly powerful with so many waterbenders working together on a full moon. After a few short moments, Zuko realized what they were doing. He only had a second to take a breath before he was underwater. Agni, help him. He'd been submerged in the freezing arctic water before−but then, at least, it had been by choice and he'd had some warning. This time, he was helpless, underwater, and being carried away in a great wave. A couple of times, Zuko felt large chunks of ice scrape by, or even hit him. Leaving some parts of the wave frozen had undoubtedly been a conscious decision−whether they died from being hit with ice, drowning, or just the freezing cold, there would be no firebenders left in their city. But Zuko was stronger than anyone thought−he'd survive.

Finally, the wave slowed down and came to a stop. Zuko eagerly reoriented himself and swam to the surface. He gasped for air as soon as his head was out of the water, he sat there breathing for a few moments, catching his breath, and then breathed a bit of fire out…the water was terribly cold, and Zuko could feel pins sticking into him, everywhere.

He had to get out of the water.

"UNCLE!" he called out. "UNCLE!"

"Over here, Zuko!" Zuko turned around and saw Uncle Iroh, paddling his way over on what looked like a large piece of driftwood. Zuko let out a small sigh of relief…thank Agni Uncle Iroh was okay. As Zuko began to swim over to Iroh, however, another figure floating in the water caught his eye. Blue…Water Tribe? Had those waterbenders accidentally blown away one of their own? Zuko swam closer to the body and stopped swimming as he saw the familiar braid and bun. It couldn't be…

The water peasant. The Avatar's friend−she had gotten caught up in the wave? To think, just minutes before Zuko had been thinking of how the spirits must favor this peasant over him. Now he had survived an attack that had undoubtedly killed many of his countrymen, while the waterbender was killed with her own element.

Except that dead people don't cough. Eyes widening, Zuko reached over and touched her neck…yes, there was definitely a pulse. She was alive, she had also survived the great wave…but she was unconscious, and now that he was close to her, he could see that one spot on back of her head seemed to shine a different color. Blood. So she had miraculously survived the wave, but had probably hit her head on one of the chunks of ice within the wave.

So what was he supposed to do now? Zuko frowned. She wasn't really his concern. In fact, she was his enemy. Somehow, he doubted she'd even appreciate being rescued by him. But then…he couldn't really leave her. She was alive−but there was no way she would survive long alone out here. In the moonlight, Zuko could see that she was paler than usual, and her lips appeared to be turning blue in the icy water. Zuko couldn't leave her out here to die. Zuko recalled how, earlier that night, he had offered his hand to Zhao even after everything that man had done. Zuko just couldn't stand by and someone die…not when he could help. He blew a bit of fire between him and the girl, and used his hands to heat her body a little as he pulled her towards his Uncle raft. He let his uncle pull him up onto the raft, and out of the icy water. Nodding his head towards the Water Tribe girl, he spoke. "She's alive. Help me pull her up."

* * *

Katara felt an increasing amount of shock as Iroh relayed the night's events to her. How she had probably gotten caught up in the attack…and how _Zuko_ of all people had rescued her. The story made sense, thought she could remembered much from her last night in the Northern Water Tribe. Which, in itself, made sense, given Iroh's description of her head wound. Now that she thought of it, she could feel the slight tightness of a cloth bandage tied around her head. Still, as much sense as the story made, Katara could hardly believe the story that Iroh had told her. "Zuko…saved me?" she murmured. Iroh nodded in confirmation, smiling with what looked like pride. Katara blinked and looked over to where Zuko was still sulking. "He's never really seemed like the rescuing type." Recalling that Iroh was Zuko's uncle, and clearly held a lot of affection for him, Katara quickly added, "Not from what I've seen, at least."

But rather than be upset, Iroh just smiled serenely and said, "You've only seen the worst of my nephew…only seen his rage and frustration. But please believe me when I say that there is good in him. Much goodness." For the first time since Katara had woken up on the raft, Iroh's expression fell, becoming rather downcast. "It is only hidden."

Katara pondered his words as she looked over to Zuko. There was good in him, Katara supposed. She couldn't really deny that−after all, he had rescued her from the icy water, had used his firebending to help her warm up. He didn't have to do that. In fact, some people would probably say he shouldn't have done that. They were enemies. But he still saved her life, even though it did nothing but make things more frustrating for him. However, that still didn't mean much−he had still attacked her village; attacked the Kyoshi warriors' village; taken her necklace; and who knows what else. Not to mention his downright rabid hunt for Aang. He clearly didn't care who he had to hurt to capture the Avatar…the world's last hope for peace. Katara's expression became stony as she looked at the Fire Nation prince. He may have saved her, but that didn't mean anything. So long as he continued to hunt Aang, he was the enemy. Saving her life…while she appreciated being alive, she knew that it wasn't important in the grander scheme. Iroh was talking again. "You've been asleep for the past four days. After your head wound and the cold water, you needed rest. But I'm glad that you've awoken−Zuko and I were starting to worry. Would you let me look at your injury?" Katara let him undo the bandaging he had put around her head.

"Hmm…it looks like it's healing well enough. What about you? Are you seeing everything fine? You aren't dizzy or anything, are you?" Katara shook her head.

"I am sort of hungry," she admitted. Zuko let out an angry groan.

"What do you expect us to do about that? Does it look like we've been have a feast while you were asleep?" He was standing up and glaring at her again. "We haven't got anything for you to eat. We haven't even got drinkable water!" he shouted, motioning to the vast ocean. "Just a bunch of salt water! Which I guess is just great if you want to die faster!"

"Actually," Iroh intervened, "I've had this idea. I've been tossing it around for the past couple days, but Katara's waterbending is a key part of it, so it hasn't really been possible until now." Katara looked to Iroh, raising an eyebrow. "Listen, I understand that this isn't an ideal situation. None of us wanted this. But we are here." He looked over and met Katara's eye. "We can survive this. But only if we work together. We have everything we need." Turning to the ocean, he motioned, "Water."

"Weren't you listening to what I just said?" Zuko interrupted his uncle. "It's salt water. It'll just kill us faster!"

"Yes," Iroh responded. "But with our firebending and Katara's waterbending, we can turn it into fresh water." Katara's eyes lit up in recognition.

"My father taught my brother and I that trick!"

Iroh nodded. "This would normally require pots and such, which unfortunately we haven't got…such a shame. This situation demands tea." Katara raised an eyebrow. Tea? He was thinking about tea? She heard Zuko groan. Apparently, his uncle's desire for tea when they didn't even have water wasn't so surprising to him. "But with your help, we won't need any. You can just bend the water over to us, and we will heat it. When it evaporates, then you can bend the new fresh water back into liquid." Iroh was letting out a large smile, and Katara couldn't help but be moved by his enthusiasm. The plan should work, except…

"I've never done that before," she admitted. "I've bent the usual stuff, you know, water, ice, and snow. But I've never taken water out of the air before." What if she couldn't do it? Then Iroh's plan wouldn't work…they wouldn't have water. Food, Katara knew, a person could go without for quite some time. But water was vital to one's survival. For a moment Katara panicked, and suddenly she found that she empathized with Zuko's apparent pessimism.

But then Zuko himself spoke. "You can do it. You learn fast…a couple months ago you couldn't even freeze the right people and now you're…a decent waterbender." Katara's mouth dropped. She wasn't sure what was stranger−the fact that Zuko was apparently complimenting her, or how bitter Zuko sounded as he said it. But Katara set her jaw, a new feeling of steely determination setting in. She could do it. She had taught herself waterbending for fourteen years, enough that even Pakku had acknowledged it in their duel. Now that she had some actual training…she could figure this out. She had to.

"I'll figure it out," she told Iroh.

"Excellent! And as for food, perhaps we can catch some fish."

Zuko looked over to his uncle. "Do you even know how to fish?"

"It's never too late to learn."

"Urgh!" Zuko smacked his face, glaring into his palm. "We don't even have anything to catch fish with!"

"You have me," Katara pointed out. "Back at the South Pole I'd sometime practice my waterbending by using it to catch fish. I can do that here, too."

Iroh nodded. "Perfect. And then Zuko and I will cook the fish." He looked over to his nephew. "You see, Zuko? We can survive until we find land. Good thing you rescued Katara, or this would have been far less pleasant!"

She looked at Zuko, her face blank this time. He met her gaze with a similarly neutral expression. He frowned, but gave her a single, quick nod. There was…and understanding. He had saved her. Now it time for them to cooperate. To survive. That was all they could do for now, all that could be asked of them.

So Katara set to work on figuring out how to draw water from the air. She worked diligently, but Sokka and Aang were on her mind. They distracted her, but they also gave her strength. They must be missing her. What did they think? Did they think have any idea that she was alive? Were they looking for her? Did they…did they think she was dead? She let out a breath, and pulled…there. She saw it−several drops of water materialized. Katara smiled. She was not going to die here.

 **So, it's been forever since I've updated. Super sorry about that, guys. Take this as a sign of me starting to get back on track with this fic.**

 **1\. I said I was going to polish this fic, and I am. I'll try to get that done over this week, and then I'm going to try to begin Part 2 next weekend.**

 **2\. The main reason this has been on hiatus is real life problems. School. Sorry to say that won't be done for a few more weeks, still. Last semester was not so great, and I'm doing my best to make sure this semester is better.**

 **3\. For the record, I've decided this will also have Taang in it.**


	2. Part 1 Chapter 2: Moon and Ocean

Chapter 2: Moon and Ocean

"Goodbye, Sokka. I will always be with you."

And then Yue was gone. Not just dead, but fully disappeared. And Sokka was left behind at the Spirit Oasis, holding her betrothal necklace, and it _hurt_.

Sokka continued to sit there, clutching her necklace, reliving the past several minutes over and over. It just…didn't seem real. And it had all happened so fast. One moment they were there to stop Zhao from killing the Moon Spirit, and the next he was gone, Aang was gone, the Moon Spirit was dead, and then…so was Yue. She had _become_ the moon. Of all the people he knew, he'd always been the most skeptical of the spirit stuff. Bending, past lives, spirit monsters…he didn't really believe in that sort of stuff, and Sokka wondered momentarily if this was the universe's way of getting payback. _Oh, you don't believe in us? Well, then, we'll just have the woman you love turn into the moon!_ Was his skepticism really such an offense?

Of course, Sokka knew that their love was doomed from the beginning. She was the princess of the Northern Water Tribe and he…he was just some guy from the South Pole. But he couldn't help but fall for her. Her beauty had been what initially drew him to her, but it was Yue himself that made him fall so fast and hard. She was kind, and sweet, and just amazing. Sokka recalled his lame attempts to ask her out. He'd stumbled over his words, had made himself look like such an idiot, but she had decided to spend time with him anyways. And she had even loved him back…but she was already engaged. Somehow, her loyalty to her engagement only made him love her more. She was so strong and loyal…even when it broke her heart, she still stood by it. And her dedication to her tribe was even more amazing…and he didn't protect her. He failed. With a jolt Sokka realized that this was his fault. Chief Arnook had put him in charge of protecting Yue, but he didn't. She was dead and Sokka couldn't save her. Of course, she chose to give her life back to the Moon Spirit, but…Sokka should have protected the Moon Spirit, too, then. He should've done something different.

Sokka refused to cry. Warriors don't cry, he told himself, and he screwed his eyes shut to stop tears from escaping. But when he closed his eyes, he saw Yue. Yue in the boat as he saw her for the first time, Yue on Appa where they almost kissed…Yue, glowing bright as the moon, as she kissed him. _"Goodbye, Sokka. I will always be with you."_

Sokka opened his eyes and looked up at the moon. Yue. She really would always be with him…every night she would be in the sky, shining down on him. _I know you're still with me…but is it so wrong that I'd rather you be with me_ here _?_

 _Was this how Dad felt when Mom died?_ On one hand, Sokka really hadn't known Yue anywhere near as long as his father had known his mother. But still…Sokka had loved Yue. And if he could, he would have wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

But as quickly as she had appeared in his life, she was gone.

Sokka continued to sit there, just staring at the moon, for a long time. The moon was beautiful, and he didn't want to stop looking at Yue just yet. He didn't want to go help finish the battle. He was sure Aang and the other water tribesmen had it handled, anyways. They didn't need him. And he didn't really want to seek out Chief Arnook…how could he possibly tell him about Yue? The man had trusted him to protect his daughter and he had failed.

Eventually, Yue began to leave the sky and the sun began rising in the horizon. Day was coming, and Sokka knew he had to face the world. He looked at Yue's betrothal necklace again, and sighed. He had to return it to her father and tell him about Yue's…death. Or whatever it was, really. The point was that she was gone and Sokka failed. As Sokka left the Spirit Oasis, he realized that Katara had left him at some point, probably to find Aang after he created the big water-monster-fish thing. Sokka figured he should find her before he goes to Chief Arnook. He wanted her to be there. As annoying as Katara's mothering could be, the truth was that Sokka really needed her right now.

The Northern Water Tribe city had managed to withstand the Fire Nation's attack, but it was a wreck compared to the beautiful city it had been two days previously. There were holes in walls of homes and the ground had been rendered uneven from both waterbending and blasts of fire. Columns were collapsed; while most were decorative, and were used by waterbenders in the battle, others were part of structures which collapsed without them. Many of the canals were blocked by blobs of snow and broken bridges. The worst of the damage was near the entrance to the city, where virtually everything seemed destroyed. All of the buildings, even the great wall, were gone, and Sokka could see some remainders of them floating the water. The Northern Water Tribe had won the battle, but their city was in ruins. _They're still better of than my tribe,_ Sokka thought. _They, at least, have plenty of waterbenders to fix this. The city will be back to normal in no time._

Sokka searched around the city, asking people if they'd seen Katara. The answer was always 'no' and Sokka would move on. After a while, Sokka started to feel anxious…shouldn't _someone_ have seen her by now? Where was Katara? Was she okay? What if she was hurt, or…

Sokka couldn't let himself think like that. She had probably gone after Aang, and if she was with him, then she was alright. Katara was okay, and he would find her.

Sokka continued to look for her and after a few minutes he saw a familiar tattooed bald head. "Aang!" he called out. Aang turned around and, upon seeing Sokka, jumped over to him and hugged him, grinning.

"Sokka, you're okay!" The twelve year old hugged him for a moment, and the stepped back. The smile had slipped off and now his eyebrows were slightly down. "Are you okay? I mean, you look fine, but…I know you and Yue were sort of…"

Sokka bit his tongue a little and forced a small smile. "I'll be okay." _Someday._ "Have you seen Katara anywhere?"

Aang's eyes widened. He shook his head. "I haven't seen her since I left the Spirit Oasis− I thought she was still with you!"

Sokka's heartbeat began to beat faster. "She left the Spirit Oasis. I haven't seen her anywhere…I thought she was with _you_!" _If she isn't with me and she's not with Aang…then WHERE is Katara?_ Sokka was officially starting to panic. Where was his sister? Sokka looked around and, unwillingly, his eyes settled on the wreckage of the city's entrance. If Katara was there…

"I bet she's at the healing huts," Aang spoke up quietly. Sokka turned back to him and saw that Aang was also looking at the city's entrance. He must have had the same thoughts. "Katara probably went to the healing huts to help the healers. She was learning to heal, too, you know." Aang looked back to Sokka, a smile returning to his face. "So she probably wants to help everyone who was hurt. I'm sure she's okay. Come on, we're probably making her worry about us." Aang motioned to Sokka, urging him to follow him to the healing huts.

Sokka slowly nodded. "Yeah…she's probably fine." _She has to be._ "And you're right, she probably starting to worry about us…so, we'd better go find her and let her know we're okay." _She has to be okay. I can't have failed two people I love in one night._

The two boys ran back towards the center of the city, continuing to keep an eye out for Katara. In truth, Sokka was becoming more and more desperate with each passing second. Aang was undaunted; he was confident that Katara was alright and that they'd find her at the healing huts. Sokka tried to take strength from Aang's certainty (but deep down he knew, he remembered, the twelve year old's propensity for denial).

Finally the two of them reached the healing huts, which were full and hectic as healers were busy with the many wounds of the previous night's battle. It had been far worse than the previous day's, due to the moon's disappearance. Aang and Sokka split up as they asked around. Like all of the other people Sokka had asked, every healer, every wounded warrior told him that they hadn't seen Katara.

Sokka was just about to go crazy when he saw Master Pakku talking to several other waterbenders. Sokka suddenly felt a little more optimistic. Maybe Pakku knew where Katara was. Sokka had assumed that she would have gone after Aang, but maybe instead she had gone to find Pakku. Gone to help the other waterbenders drive the firebenders out of the city. Maybe she had just gone over to talk− despite their horrible first encounters with each other, Pakku and Katara had quickly formed a bond after he learned who she was and began to teach her. She had actually spent a considerable amount of time with him outside of their lessons, talking to him about life in the Southern Water Tribe, telling about Gran-Gran. He, in turn, would tell her about Gran-Gran when he'd known her. Sokka had been there some of the time, but most of the time Katara had spent with Pakku, he had spent with…Yue.

It wasn't unreasonable that Katara would go talk to Pakku.

"Master Pakku!" he shouted as he ran up to him. The old waterbending mast turned to face him.

Pakku quickly looked him over before speaking. "Sokka. It's good to see that you made it through the battle. What do you need?"

"Katara. Have you seen Katara? I can't find her anywhere!"

Pakku's eyes widened a little bit. He turned to the nearby waterbenders. "Have any of you seen Katara? You all know who she is. She's missing." The other waterbenders were silent, some of them frowning as they tried to remember whether they had seen the young waterbender. Others that knew that they hadn't seen her simply shook her head. Sokka and Pakku observed this. After a few moments, Pakku walked over to a couple of waterbenders that had looked at each other. "Have either of you seen Katara?" They refused to look at the old waterbending master. "Kylatok, Nokoda, if you know something, then you will share it!"

Sokka stepped forward, hands pulled into fist. " _Where is my sister?_ "

One of them, the taller and paler of the two, answered first. "I…I think I may have seen her earlier. But I'm not really sure it was her."

"Where? Where was she?" The waterbender only looked down to his feet for a moment, before raising his head and looking away from Sokka. It took Sokka a few more moments to realize that the waterbender wasn't just avoiding looking at him; he was looking at the entrance of the city. The _pulverized_ entrance to the city. _No._

Pakku had also caught on. "You saw her near the entrance of the city? When was this? Nokoda, _when_ did you see Katara near the entrance of the city?"

The one who had previously spoken resumed looking at his feet. The other waterbender was the one who answered Pakku's question…and crushed Sokka's hope. "Right before the wave. We saw running towards the entrance while we were making the wave. I…we didn't see her come out."

No.

No, this wasn't right.

If that was…then…Katara couldn't be gone.

She just…

For a few moments, Sokka became dead to the world, numb and deaf, only mildly aware to Pakku's fury at his students. ("You knew there was one of our own in the line of the attack and you did nothing?!") It didn't matter. None of it did.

 _I failed…again._

Not only had he failed to protect Yue, but he had failed to protect Katara, too. Katara. His sister. His wonderful, kind, and brave sister. His fourteen year old sister.

 _"Being a man is knowing where you're needed the most. And for you right now, that's here, protecting your sister."_

He'd been so caught up in his grief over Yue…he hadn't even noticed when Katara had left him. He hadn't protected her.

Why did the spirits feel the need to take her away, too? WHY? What WAS all of this? Was he cursed? Was this all payback for his skepticism? Hadn't he lost enough? His mother was dead…his father left…Yue was dead…why did they need to take Katara, too?

"We didn't think she'd keep running further out!" one of the waterbenders tried to defend themselves. "She should've known we'd push the remaining firebenders out! She should've come back."

Sokka heard that and he snapped back out of his thoughts, looking at the waterbenders. He felt like he was seeing them for the first time…they weren't just two of many waterbenders. They were…horrible. They knew Katara was in danger, but they did nothing. No, they didn't do nothing…they helped make the wave that…that…

They're just as bad as firebenders!

"You," he growled out, glaring fiercely. "How…how could you do it? She's fourteen! How could you see her in the way and attack anyways!?"

The taller of the two stepped back. He looked incredibly distressed. Sokka didn't care. "I'm sorry," the waterbender said.

It was too much. " _I don't care!_ " Sokka launched himself onto him, punching him, punching his face, punching anywhere…he ought to throttle him. " _YOU KILLED MY SISTER!_ "

"What?"

Sokka stopped. _Oh no._ How could he have forgotten? He got off of the bloodied waterbender, stood, and turned around. "Aang…"

The twelve year old airbender was standing not far from him, having seen the commotion. And he looked…he had heard what Sokka had said. His eyes were wide and watering, his mouth slightly parted. _Damn it._ Sokka had forgotten all about Aang. He'd have had to tell him anyways, but this…this was a horrible way to find out.

"K-Katara?" Aang questioned, looking between the four men. Pakku, Sokka, Kylatok, and Nokoda. It was written all over their faces.

Katara was gone.

"No," Aang shook his head. Sokka took a few steps forward…and then he noticed the glow. _Oh no._ "NO!" Aang entered the Avatar State and Sokka, along with Pakku, Kylatok, and Nokoda were all blasted away. Wind whipped around, throwing people and things all over. The water which composed the healing huts and other buildings melted and froze and caused chaos all around Aang. Sokka himself had been thrown into an ice wall, his right wrist hitting before anything else. Sokka let out a grunt of pain as it hit, and when he pulled it away he felt a dull throb of pain every few seconds. He looked up, seeing the destruction that Aang was causing. The healing huts had already been overflowing because of the battle, and Sokka could hear screams of panic as the huts were destroyed and the ice beneath their feet would rise and fall. Sokka saw several waterbenders try to attack Aang, to at least know him out. It didn't work. None of them had any chance of fighting an Avatar in the Avatar State. Sokka looked at Aang. He could see, even from where he was, that the kid was upset. He was grieving. Attacking him did nothing to stop the Avatar State. Aang needed to calm down. Aang needed comfort.

He needed Katara.

But she wasn't there. That was why Aang was upset. Because Katara was gone. Aang had lost her. So had Sokka.

And Sokka realized what he had to do.

Holding up his throbbing wrist, Sokka managed to pull himself to his feet. The wind blew hard at him, but he pushed himself forward, trying to get close to Aang. "Aang!" he called out. Spirits, what was he supposed to say? He wasn't one for mushy feely stuff. That was…Katara's job. "I know how you feel," he started lamely. "I'm feeling it, too! I know that you were close to Katara…" _Sokka and I! We're your family now!_ "She became your family after you lost the Air Nomads…but she was my family, too! She was my sister!" Sokka noticed that the wind blowing against him wasn't as hard as it was when he started speaking, and he continued, knowing what had to be said. "All that pain your feeling? I'm feeling it, too! I'm feeling it with you." He stepped closer, and he could feel the wind slowing down. He saw Aang slowly descending as he began to leave the Avatar State. "I'm still with you," he told Aang, as his tattoos stopped glowing and he collapsed. Sokka, rarely one for mushy hugs, allowed the twelve year old Avatar to embrace him as he cried. Sokka returned it with the strength of a platypus-bear. "Katara said that we're your family now. So…even if she's gone, I promise you, I'll always be with you."

Aang sniffled as he cried. "I've already lost my entire people…I can't lose Katara, too."

Sokka hugged Aang tighter for a moment before withdrawing a bit. "You know, we don't really know for sure. She may have survived the wave." Aang looked up hopefully. "I'm not saying that she did− by the look of the city's entrance, it was a really powerful wave and it would take a miracle for her to live," he told Aang before he got his hopes up too much. "Still, if you ask me, the universe really owes us a miracle or two."

"So Katara may still be alive?" Aang looked outwards towards the city's entrance and the vast ocean beyond it. "If she is alive, then she's out there, somewhere, waiting for us."

Sokka nodded, and put his hand on Aang's shoulder. "If she is alive…if she's out there at all, we're going to find her. Together."

 **Two chapters down, six to go, and then we'll be onto the new stuff! Can you wait? I sure can't!**

 **I wanted to start more of that THIS weekend, but I had to do an extra credit project. No, seriously, I HAD to do it, because the professor really, really wants the average grade to be a C! So, my grade, currently an A, could get rounded DOWN to a B!  
So, yeah, I need to not JUST have an A, but as high and A as possible!  
Urgh, sorry about the rant, but I'll try to polish the early chapters as quickly as possible. Hopefully I can get new stuff started by next weekend.  
(But, for the record, I will be devoting a lot of time to that class. Sorry.)**

 **1\. I did fix the "Southern Water Tribe" mistake from last chapter. I actually considered leaving it, just cuz. Pretty goofy mistake.**

 **2\. This fic does have a lot about Aang and Sokka. If you really, really just want the Zutara, skip to chapter 5. The next two are all about Aang and Sokka, so...  
That's pretty much it. Onto the next chapter!**


	3. Part 1 Chapter 3: Conversations

Chapter 3: Conversations

Eager as Aang and Sokka were to search for Katara, they both knew there were several things they had to do beforehand.

First, and easiest, was having Sokka's wrist looked at by a healer. After he had calmed down Aang, he became much more aware of the pain in his wrist. Trying to move it, he found that he wasn't able to move it well, and that even trying to turn it resulted in an even more intense pain…it was probably broken. The healers, of course, were overloaded with people wounded in the battle and the situation wasn't helped by the chaos Aang had caused in the Avatar State. Thankfully, only a few people had been hurt before Sokka had calmed Aang down, and Sokka's broken wrist was the worst of those injuries. Sokka found a healer who was slightly less busy than the others and she quickly set to work on healing his wrist. She spent a few minutes using her waterbending to heal him, and then wrapped his wrist.

"I'm sorry I can't do more," the young healer told him. "But there are a lot of others who are injured worse, and I need to help them. Still, your wrist is much better than it was. Don't move it for the next couple days…it should finish healing on its own within the next week or so." The young healer stood there for a moment, waiting for Sokka to respond, to let her know if anything else was hurt. During those brief seconds, Sokka unwillingly noticed that she had a slight resemblance to Katara. Her eyes were a bit paler, her hair a bit darker, her face a slight bit narrower, but the resemblance was enough to make Sokka's heart hurt. The healer even had the same hair loopies.

"Thank you," Sokka said, before quickly getting up and leaving the healer behind. He returned to Aang, who, upon seeing Sokka's wrist wrapped, apologized yet again for causing the injury. Sokka assured Aang that it was fine, that it really wasn't Aang's fault, and that he didn't need to apologize.

"You saw me beating that guy up," Sokka pointed out. "If I were the Avatar, I'd have gone into the Avatar State, too."

They left the healers and went to the palace. The second thing they had to do before looking for Katara would be much harder. It was what Sokka had been dreading all morning: telling Chief Arnook about Yue. With each step Sokka's heart beat faster and faster, and Sokka almost felt faint. He thought of different scenarios, trying to think of the best way to say it…

 _Yue is dead._

There was no good way to say it.

Sokka almost wondered if he could just turn around, take Aang, and leave the city without facing Arnook. He even thought about justifications. _Katara is missing, but she could be alive…each moment she's out there alone, her chances of survival dwindle…we have to find her NOW, this is pointless anyways…_

But each time Sokka considered that, Aang would be there, offering his support and reminding how you can't run away from your duties. Sokka was supposed to protect Yue. And since he couldn't bring Arnook's daughter back to him, he had to tell him how it happened. Besides, Yue had told him to give her father her betrothal necklace, and Sokka couldn't possibly deny her that.

Aang and Sokka finally found Chief Arnook speaking with Master Pakku on the balcony which overlooked the city. As the two boys stepped onto the balcony, the chief and the waterbending master stopped speaking and turned to face the newcomers. Both of the men's faces were grim and Chief Arnook looked older than he had a few days before. Master Pakku walked away, leaving Chief Arnook alone at the railing of the balcony. Sokka took a breath. He had to do this.

Aang gripped his hand, offering his strength. "Do you want me to help tell him?"

Sokka let out a breath, the shook his head. "No. Thanks, Aang, but…this is something I've got to do alone." Stepping forward, Sokka reminded himself that Aang wasn't far over. He was still there, and Sokka drew some strength from that.

Chief Arnook looked at Sokka, eyes somewhat downcast. The chief looked weary…and Sokka knew that it wasn't just from the battle.

He knew.

Sokka looked down to the ground, and got on his knees. "I'm sorry, Chief Arnook. You told me to protect Yue…but I failed. She's gone. I'm so sorry, but she's gone." The chief put his hand on Sokka's shoulder, urging him to stand up.

The two of them stood there for a moment. Before the chief looked away, looking to the sky. "The Moon Spirit," he said simply. Sokka nodded. "Tell me exactly what happened."

So Sokka told him.

Aang hung back with Master Pakku as Sokka spoke to Chief Arnook. Aang watched as he got to his knees and apologized, and as he rose and began to tell Chief Arnook what had happened. _This day must be really bad for Sokka_ , he thought. They had both lost Katara, but Sokka had also lost the girl he loved. Two people. Aang thought back to when they had visited the Southern Air Temple. He'd been devastated…seeing it empty, seeing Gyatso…realizing that he really was the last airbender…it had all been so horrible. It was the first time he'd gone into the Avatar State without his life being in danger. Katara had pulled him out of it, offering herself and Sokka as his new family.

And now he and Sokka had lost Katara. _He needs me_ , Aang realized. _Like I need him. If Katara is out there, we'll find her…and if she isn't…_

 _"I'm still with you."_

They would still have each other, but it would never be the same without Katara.

It seemed that he wasn't the only one with Katara on his mind.

"I'm sorry about what happened to Katara," Master Pakku said, softer that he ever usually was. "If I had known that she−that any of our own−was out there, I'd have immediate called off the attack." He scowled. "Kylatok and Nokoda should have stopped the attack as soon as they saw her. I don't know if this comforts you at all, but they will be brought to trial for this. They will probably be banished; the Water Tribes take any form of betrayal very seriously. Though, truth be told, I found Kylatok's broken nose to be pretty satisfying as well."

They were both silent for a moment. "Sokka thinks it's possible that Katara could be alive. We're going to look for her."

"It's possible," Pakku granted. "But not very likely. The wave was as powerful as we could make it, and we intentionally left parts of the city frozen. Katara would have been very lucky to have survived it." The old master stopped and shook his head, and Aang could see that he, too, looked saddened. "I do hope that Katara has survived. And I hope that we can find her. Yes, we…I will take as many other tribesman as I can and help you look for her. She was the best student I've ever had. She was so eager to learn, so focused. She was talented and ferocious in a way that few waterbenders are." Pakku stopped for a moment. "In truth, she was special beyond her waterbending abilities. She challenged me, challenged my tribe's customs. She fought me, a master waterbender, in order to prove herself. The world needs more people like her. People willing to challenge what is known. People willing to leave everything they've known to help restore balance to the world." He stopped, and looked at Aang. "Her destiny was tied to yours. Hopefully, that means it's not over yet. Just don't rest your hopes on finding her. The disappointment would only be worse."

"So…what now?"

"I'll continue to train you while you're here. But I do believe you have a deadline for mastering the other elements?"

Aang nodded. "Sozin's Comet. It returns this summer."

"Then you'll have to move on and find other masters. Do you have any ideas for an earthbending master?"

Aang nodded vigorously. "King Bumi of Omashu! He was actually around before I got stuck in the iceberg a hundred years ago. He's the greatest earthbender I've ever seen, and he's also one of my best friends."

"He's also a great player of Pai Sho."

Aang blinked. "You know him?"

"We've met."

Aang smiled. As bad as things were, he was looking forward to seeing his old friend again. And, hopefully, by the time he and Sokka went to Omashu, they would have Katara with them again.

Sokka told Chief Arnook everything that had happened, every moment that had led up to Yue's death. He told the chief how his daughter had wanted Sokka to give him her betrothal necklace, and did so. He told him how her body had disappeared, and then briefly reappeared as the new Moon Spirit. For a few moments, they stood there, staring out at the sky, knowing that the girl they both loved was out there.

"The spirits gave me a vision when Yue was born," Chief Arnook finally said. "I saw a beautiful, brave young woman become the Moon Spirit. I knew this day would come."

 _The spirits knew this would happen?_ They had planned it from the beginning. They planned to sacrifice Yue from the beginning of her life…that was why the Moon Spirit gave her life. _Why?_ Sokka thought. _Why did it have to be her? She was the most amazing, kind, and selfless girl I've ever known…why did you choose to take her away?_

 _That was why._

Sokka understood it then. It was because Yue was so kind, so selfless that they chose her. The Moon Spirit had to give life to someone who would be willing to give it back. Someone who would choose the world over themselves.

"You must be proud." It was all he could really say to Yue's father.

"So proud. And sad." The silence resumed for several more minutes before Chief Arnook turned to him. "Master Pakku told me that your sister is gone."

"We don't know for sure." Sokka frowned. "Apparently she got swept away in the wave that destroyed the entrance to the city. That doesn't necessarily mean that she's dead. She could be out there somewhere."

Chief Arnook nodded. "Master Pakku said the same thing, and asked that he be allowed to take some other members of the tribe to go searching for her. Apparently, he's already found quite a few people who want to help."

Sokka looked up, eye widening, before a smile worked its way forward. He turned around to see that the old waterbending master was still standing next to Aang. "Wow. I didn't realize he cared that much."

"I believe that he sees something in her−a bit of himself, maybe, or a part of a life that could have been. Sokka," the chief said. "I hope you find your sister. I know that you were…close to my daughter. I wouldn't wish another loss upon you so soon."

"Thanks. I hope I find her, too." _I have to._

"You promised we'd find Katara together!"

"I know, Aang, it's just…"

"Just what, Sokka? You said we'd look for her together, but now you're saying you don't want me there?"

"It's not so simple, Aang…"

"What do you mean? Sokka, look, I have to help find Katara, she wa-is my friend."

"I know, but-"

"But what? You think I'll go into the Avatar State if she really is gone?" Aang was quiet for a few moments, and Sokka didn't say anything. "Sokka, I can handle now…I mean, I won't freak out like I did earlier…"

"That's not it," Sokka told him. He sighed, pressing his palm to his forehead. "It's not that I don't want you there. Honestly, I kind of need you there, especially if she's really…but when I said we'd look for her together, I wasn't really thinking. Now that I've had the chance…I just don't think you should see what's out there."

Now Aang was just confused. _So…he does want me there, but he also doesn't want me there?_ "What do mean?"

"Bodies, Aang. The aftermath of the battle. A lot of people were swept away in that wave. Fire Nation people, granted, but still human beings. Not to mention the ships that were sunk by the Ocean Spirit. The thing is…you're twelve." Aang blinked. Why was Sokka telling him his own age? "I forget that sometimes. But I've been thinking…I'm not sure that you should have to see this. It…may be a bit much."

"Oh." So Sokka was trying to protect him. Aang sort of appreciated it. And, admittedly, it did sort of scare him. He knew, of course, that a lot of people were killed. But to go up close to them? It would be…disturbing, and Aang felt sort of nauseous just thinking about it. _But I have to go. Even if it makes me sick, because…_ "When you promised me that we'd look for Katara together, I promised I'd be there with you. We promised each other. Because we need each other. You just said it yourself, Sokka. You'll need me if Katara is…gone." Aang didn't want to accept it. Not unless he had to. "We are doing this together, okay?"

Sokka just stared at him for a moment before smiling. "I should've known I couldn't talk you out of coming with me. Fine, we'll still look for her together. But, if you feel…bad or, anything, we'll come back and drop you off, okay?"

Aang agreed and he resolved to be strong so that Sokka wouldn't have to be alone. _You won't leave me and I won't leave you,_ he thought. The two boys got onto got onto Appa. The other tribesmen were still organizing, and would join the search (if necessary) the next day. "Okay, Appa, are you ready to find Katara?" Appa let out a large rumble. "Yeah, me too. Yip yip!"

And the boys began their search.

 **And here's chapter three. I'll be honest and say I didn't really change much here. I'm kinda eager to get done with polishing the old stuff, so I can start posting the new stuff (which is WAY overdue).**

 **That said, if anyone read the chapter and noticed any typos, or grammatical errors, or anything, please let me know.**

 **Onto chapter four...**


	4. Part 1 Chapter 4: Acceptance

Chapter 4: Acceptance

Day one:

Sokka and Aang began their search late in the day, and were already quite exhausted. Nonetheless, the hope of finding Katara drove them to search the entrance and the area surrounding it. Appa flew relatively close to the ground so that Sokka and Aang could have a better look at each chunk of ice, each body in the water.

Aang thought of how Sokka hadn't wanted him to have to see them. And, in truth, it was disturbing. At first, Aang thought several of them could still be alive, and convinced a wary Sokka to let them go check. Sokka didn't particularly seem to care if they were alive or dead, and seemed to prefer to just leave them to die if they had miraculously survived. "Don't forget that it's Katara we're looking for. Don't get sidetracked," he warned Aang. Aang understood−but he couldn't just let someone die if he could help them. In his eyes, that would make him at least partially responsible for their death.

Ultimately, it didn't matter, because each body that Aang thought might still be alive was dead after all. Looking for Katara was a grim task, and with each body Aang saw he felt sicker. Sokka would occasionally ask him if he was alright and Aang would nod, but in truth, he felt his previous optimism fading with each body he saw. _So many people…how could Katara have survived this?_

Eventually, it was too dark to see, and Aang and Sokka were tired. They hadn't really slept since before the invasion, several days ago. They reluctantly returned to the city and went to a fitful and unfulfilling sleep.

They would search again the next day.

* * *

Day two:

Aang and Sokka woke up around dawn, still tired, but energized by the need to find Katara. They set out with Appa and began their search again. Not long after they took to the sky, they saw several Northern Water Tribe boats join them. This was the group of people that Master Pakku had recruited to help search for Katara. Around midday, Sokka and Aang had Appa fly beside the ship. Aang and Sokka hopped over.

"Wow," Aang said to Master Pakku. "This is a lot of people−they're all here to help look for Katara?"

Pakku nodded. "She left quite the impression on the Tribe."

"Master Pakku? Thanks…you know, for coming out here to help find my sister. We really need the help," Sokka admitted. They'd had no luck finding Katara the previous day. With the help of the other tribesmen, though, they could cover more ground. Aang and Sokka both felt more hopeful than they had before.

Even with the help of the other tribesmen, the day gave into night too quickly, and they had to return empty-handed.

* * *

Day three:

Sokka and Aang set out to find Katara once again. This time they moved a little bit slower as they woke up, as they got onto Appa. Sokka wanted to attribute it only to the fact that they hadn't gotten a good night's sleep since before the Fire Nation's attack, before Katara disappeared, but he knew that that wasn't all. The truth was that they were slowly beginning to realize that they wouldn't find her. Sokka tried to believe they would, if only for Aang's sake, but the more he looked, the less he believed that she could be alive. _Come on universe, just grant me this. Please bring my sister back to me._

There was an awkward silence between Sokka and Aang. Several times one of them would try to initiate a conversation, but it would last a couple minutes at most before they grew silent again. Sokka wondered if Aang had the same thoughts on his mind.

Once again, they returned empty-handed.

* * *

Day four:

For some reason, when Aang woke up on the fourth day of their search, he was more certain that Katara was alive than ever. He eagerly woke up Sokka, and leaped onto Appa with renewed enthusiasm.

 _Today, we ARE going to find Katara._

He initiated conversation with Sokka, who responded to any topic Aang gave him. He wasn't as optimistic as Aang was, but still, seeing the twelve year old resuming his usually cheerful disposition somehow lightened Sokka's own mood. He still had Yue and Katara on his mind, but for a few precious hours, it almost felt normal. Just him and Aang talking and telling a few jokes. Though they were searching, the search somehow felt far away.

Those hours were done soon enough, and despite Aang's optimism, the day still ended sourly.

They still hadn't found Katara.

 _Where are you?_

* * *

Day five:

On the fifth day, Sokka and Aang both woke up slowly, exhaustion and despair catching up to them. They were truly beginning to see that, no matter how much they wanted to believe that Katara was still alive, she probably wasn't.

Adding to the bad news was that the tribesmen that had been helping them look for Katara would be ending their search in two days−one week after Katara had gone missing. "Chief Arnook figures that if Katara can't be found within a week, then there is nothing _to_ be found," Pakku explained. The old man looked older than he had just a week before. "There are more people out now that most of the wounded are taken care of, and perhaps that may help, but…"

"You don't think Katara is out there," Sokka stated. Aang, Pakku, and Sokka stood by silently for a moment before Pakku spoke again.

"It was unlikely that she survived the wave to begin with. And it would be impossible for her to survive an entire week alone out here. If we can't find her in the next few days, then it's time for us to accept the loss and move on. And it would be wise for you to do the same."

Aang's eyes widened. "You want us to give up?! We can't do that, we can't abandon Katara−"

"Aang," Sokka put his hand on Aang's shoulder, and Aang looked to him. "Pakku is right. We don't even know if she's alive…if we do find her, it might just be…" _Her remains._ "If we don't find anything soon, we have to call the search off. We can't stay here looking for her forever." Sokka sighed, looking pained. "You know I want to find her. But…if we can't, then we need to accept it and move on. You still have to save the world, Aang. Katara believed in you, and so do I. But you can't do that here." _And this place has become painful._

Aang looked like he'd argue for a moment before he deflated. "Fine," he relented. "But we still have a few more days."

Sokka nodded. "We're still looking. If she is out there, we'll find her."

They looked harder than ever, going further past the city into the wide ocean. They saw nothing still. Aang struggled with exhaustion, his eyes closing against his will. Several times Aang would feel weightless and suddenly wake up, realizing that he had fallen asleep for at least a few seconds. Sokka noticed and eventually told him to just take a nap.

"You haven't been getting much sleep, have you? I know you're tired. Just go to sleep, Aang. You need it."

"But Katara−"

"No offense, Aang, but you aren't very useful falling asleep every few seconds. Just take a nap. I've got this covered. If I find her, I'll wake you up, okay?"

Eventually, Aang woke up, better rested. Sokka hadn't found Katara.

By the end of the day, even Aang was starting to give up hope of finding her.

* * *

Day six:

On the sixth day of the search, Aang and Sokka hung back, staying closer to the tribesmen and their boats than they had on previous days.

"Maybe we missed something closer to the city's entrance," Sokka explained. "We've been going so far out, away from the city. We've actually gone further than the wave probably went. But if Katara was alive, if she had any control of where she was going, she would have tried to get back to the city. So…maybe she's actually close to the entrance. We could've passed her every day without noticing, especially if she was under any ice or snow."

Aang wasn't sure that he really believed that, but he figured it couldn't hurt to go back and check the entrance area again. After all, they hadn't had any luck further out.

Aang and Sokka continued looking for Katara throughout the day. Aang used his bending to lift and move ice to check if Katara could have gotten trapped under any. _Of course not,_ he thought. _Katara could've handled that anyways, unless…_

 _If I do find her, it may just be…_

Aang tried to put it out of his mind. His own insistence that Katara was alive was like a wall in his mind, acceptance battering against his denial.

Eventually, the wall had to give.

Aang was lifting snow out of the way, checking the entrance of the city in the last hours of daylight, when he saw a familiar figure leaving one of the search boats.

 _Katara._

"Katara!" Aang dropped the snow he'd been bending, leaping over to Katara and enveloping her into an uncomfortably tight hug. "I'm so glad you're alright! Sokka and I were so scared when we couldn't find you, and we've been looking, and everyone's telling us you're dead, but you're okay and−"

"Um…I'm sorry, but…" the girl's voice said into Aang's ear. Not Katara's voice. Aang withdrew from the unreturned hug, stepping away in shock.

Not Katara.

It wasn't Katara.

The girl's resemblance to Katara was striking, but now that Aang saw her up close, he saw the slight difference in her coloring, and the difference in her face's shape. And her voice was far to mellow to belong to Katara. "Oh," he said simply. He hung his head, frowning. His shoulders slumped, and Aang felt the sting of defeat. He'd really thought it was Katara. "I'm sorry, I thought you were Katara…"

"That's alright. I'm sorry I got your hopes up…" The girl was blushing, but it wasn't a happy blush. She looked genuinely apologetic, though she hadn't done anything wrong.

"No," Aang told her. "That's not your fault. I just…saw you. You actually look a lot like her. I assumed you were her without thinking…"

"That's okay. You just…wished she was here, and when you saw me, you hoped so much…"

Aang nodded glumly. "Yeah." They were quiet for a moment, and Aang couldn't stand it. Not Katara, not Katara, not Katara. "So you've been out here with the search boats?" he finally said, just to break the silence.

Not-Katara nodded. "This is only my second day out here, though. I would've come before, but I was busy in the healing huts."

"You're a healer?" Aang inquired.

"Yeah. Actually, I healed your friend's wrist the other day."

"You're the one that healed Sokka?" Seeing her nod, Aang offered her a small smile. "Thanks for healing him." It had been his fault that Sokka was injured. Knowing that this was the person who had helped fix it, Aang felt gratitude for this girl. "Katara's a healer, too." Aang looked away from the girl again.

Not-Katara nodded. "Yeah, I know. She's amazing." She blushed again. "I mean, I've only seen her at one healing section, and that was just a lesson, so it wasn't much. But Katara is, well, she's amazing and perfect and strong." She covered her face with her hand. "What I mean to say is, she's sort of my hero. I admire her."

Aang nodded. "Yeah…Katara is amazing…" A slightly dreamy expression appeared on Aang's face as he thought of her. "You know she's the last waterbender of her tribe? And she was willing to go all the way across the world to learn waterbending. And she taught herself along the way."

Not-Katara nodded. "Yeah. And then Master Pakku said no, and she challenged him. I watched her duel with him−that was _amazing_! She taught herself all of that?"

Aang nodded. "Yeah. And, you know, she was a better waterbender than me. You should've seen her wipe out Prince Zuko in one move."

The girl looked down. "I wish I was more like her," she quietly admitted. "I always wanted to learn real waterbending, but I'm a girl, I mean, obviously I'm a girl…I hope it's obvious; that is, I hope I don't look like a boy. Not that I'm insulting Katara! She was really pretty…um…" She looked at Aang, who was actually fighting off a small smile as he listened to her.

"So you don't just want to heal, either?" It reminded him of Katara, but the more he talked to this girl, the more he saw the huge differences between them.

"I like healing, I really do. But I've always wanted to actually help fight, too. Maybe then there would be fewer people hurt…and killed, if they had more help…" She was looking down now, but Aang could still see that her pained expression. Her eyes were wet.

"You lost someone in the battle, didn't you?" he guessed.

She slowly nodded. "My father and my brothers were all out there. And I was just stuck in the healing huts, wondering if any of them would turn up injured, or worse, not turn up at all." She took a shuddering breath and let it out. "Saroda…he didn't make it. And I just wonder…could I have made any difference if I was out there with him?"

"You can't think like that," Aang told her. "I know it's tempting to try and take the blame for bad things happening to your loved ones…but it wasn't your fault. And there's no guarantee that he'd have lived if you were there. Maybe he would have died anyways. Or you'd have died instead of him. Maybe both of you would have died, and then what?" He went quiet for a second as he remembered telling Katara about his last days before the iceberg while they were in that cave. He remembered blaming himself for all that had happened to the world since he'd disappeared. "You know, I sometimes feel responsible for what happened to the Air Nomads. I figured…maybe if I'd been there, I could've saved them and stopped this war before it started. But Katara pointed out that I'd have probably just died with them…and then the situation would all just be worse. So…don't dwell on whether you could have saved him. You'll just drive yourself crazy. Just…accept it, mourn him, and move on. I'm sure that's what your brother would have wanted you to do."

They were both quiet for a moment as they both processed what Aang had said. The girl frowned, looking out to the moon, while Aang thought about Katara. _Just…accept it, mourn him, and move on. I'm sure that's what your brother would have wanted you to do._ Was it time for him to accept that Katara was gone? All this time, he'd been clinging to the hope that Katara was still alive somewhere, but after six days of looking for her, they hadn't even had the slightest hint that she had even survived the wave. _Tomorrow is the last day of looking for her…are we really going to find her? Is there anything left to find at all?_

"Thanks, Avatar," the girl said after a few minutes. "I…it's still sort of a shock. Saroda has always been there, and now he's…but you're right. He wouldn't want me to torture myself with what-if's."

"No problem," Aang told her. "But please, just call me Aang." He wondered if he'd ever really get used to people calling him Avatar. "What's your name?" _I can't just keep calling you Not-Katara._

"Senirra," she told him. They were quiet again for a few moments. "When you told me to accept my brother's death," she said quietly. "You were talking about Katara, too, weren't you?"

Aang didn't say anything for so long, it seemed that he wasn't going to answer. Senirra awkwardly looked around, and almost walked away when Aang finally answered. "Yeah. I was talking about Katara, too."

In a way, it felt sort of liberating. Ever since Sokka had told him that Katara was missing, Aang had stubbornly clung to the possibility that she was still alive. He had hung onto it for nearly a week now, as they searched and searched, and found nothing. In truth, it had all been very exhausting and frustrating, but Aang had held onto this small chance that Katara would be out there, that he would find her, that they could be together again. That things could go back to the way they were before the siege. Aang had built his wall of denial so high, no ladder, no rope, not even an airship could let acceptance get through. Then Senirra, with her almost creepy resemblance to Katara, had shown up and blasted through that wall.

"Don't get me wrong," Aang continued. "I would be happy beyond words if we do find Katara, but…if we don't, then I guess I'll just have to accept it. Katara wouldn't want me spend the rest of my life caught up over her."

"For what it's worth," Senirra said. "I hope you get some sort of miracle and she shows up tomorrow."

Aang offered her a smile. "Thanks."

He returned to Sokka, who told him, of course, that they hadn't found Katara.

 _Tomorrow is the last day._

* * *

Day seven:

"Aang…are you sure you want to come?" Sokka looked concerned. "It's just…"

"It's the last day," Aang said. "I know. And I know we probably won't find her. But we promised we'd look together. If we can't find her today…"

"Then we'll still have each other." Sokka nodded. "Alright." He sighed. "Let's do this. Appa, yip yip!"

They searched, and searched, and searched. All day, they looked. They didn't bother staying close to the water today. They mostly just flew around up high. Mostly, it was just Aang and Sokka talking. _Aang has finally accepted that she's gone,_ Sokka realized. It both relieved Sokka, and made him sad. Sad, because it pretty much confirmed that Katara was gone; if even Aang couldn't see her miraculously showing up, then there was no hope to be had. But then…he had already realized this several days ago. But Sokka also felt relief. At least that was one difficult conversation he didn't need to have with Aang.

The day went by slowly, and as painful as it was, it was also sort of peaceful. Calming. At one point Aang started talking about all sorts of spirit mumbo jumbo, talking about life and death, and his beliefs. Sokka didn't really understand half of it, but when he looked down to the ocean, which was sparkling orange and pink from the setting sun, and saw a group of seal-dolphins leaping out of the water, he thought maybe he understood a little of what Aang meant. He thought about Katara−the ocean would be her final resting place. Would she like that, he wondered? Would she have appreciated being with her element forever? Did she die fast? Sokka hoped so. He hoped that she was at peace. He thought of Yue, ascending to the sky, glowing as the new Moon Spirit. Katara wasn't a spirit, he knew, but he still saw her in the ocean, large blue eyes gleaming. As he looked down to the ocean, he somehow appreciated that it was there she had died. Her element. Sokka's thought hurt and he felt tears in his eyes. He missed her, he would always miss her. And eventually, he was going to have to tell Dad how he failed to protect her.

But for now, looking into the deep blue ocean, he felt oddly at peace.

The two boys waited, watching the sun set. Eventually, they headed back to the city. This would be the last time. Their search was over.

* * *

They lied around that night, neither one making any effort to go to sleep.

"Hey, Sokka?"

"Yeah?"

"I miss Katara."

"Me too."

"You know, I actually had a crush on her."

"What?" Sokka looked over to Aang, who gave a nervous chuckle. It was dark, but Sokka was certain that Aang was blushing. He thought back to when he'd seen them together (it all seemed so long ago…). "Wow," he said, thinking of the love-struck expressions Aang had rather frequently shot his sister. "It all seems to obvious now. How did I not notice this before?"

"I don't know," Aang shrugged. "I don't think Katara ever really noticed. I guess that's okay. I loved her as a friend…and I guess now I'll never know if it could've been more."

"She was your first crush, wasn't she?"  
"Yeah. I…never thought it would end like this."

"I know. Katara's always been there for me…I never wanted to think of a world without her." The room grew quiet again. "You know, our mother died when we were really young. And it was…hard. But Katara, she really stepped up. She took over all the duties Mom had, and she was there for me, and now…the truth is, sometimes I can't even remember what my mother looked like. And when I try to think of her, I see Katara instead."

Aang nodded. "Yeah…she was my family, too." He rolled over, closer to Sokka.

"Do you want to sleep, or do you want to keep talking?"

Aang took a minute to answer. "Do you have any good memories of her before I met her?"

"Of course. You know, I'm not the only one who did stupid, embarrassing things as a kid. Like, there was this one time where she freaked out the entire village when she…"

Aang smiled, lying next to Sokka, listening to his stories of when Katara was little. He was certain, now…

 _We'll be okay, Katara._

 **Woot! I'm on a roll! I can finish polishing this fic either today or tomorrow, and then you guys can start expecting some new stuff!**

 **Of course, I'm still dealing with that one class. Admittedly, I'm still gonna be devoting as much time to that one as possible...**

 **Still, chapter five up next!**


	5. Part 1 Chapter 5: Frustration

Chapter 5: Frustration

Katara couldn't have imagined a more awkward situation in her wildest dreams.

Stuck with the enemy. Prince Zuko.

After she had woken up and Iroh had explained to her what had happened, she agreed to try his plan to turn the salt water into fresh water. She spent the next few hours testing it out, trying to take some water out of the air. Eventually, she succeeded in taking a few droplets out of the air.

"I did it," she announced proudly. "Just a few drops, but I can build from there."

"Excellent," Iroh said, a large grin on his face. "Now, we should practice. I'll heat the salt water, and then you can take the evaporated water out of the air. Unless Zuko would like to try?" Iroh looked over to his nephew. The prince just sat there on the driftwood, scowling at his uncle's question. He didn't have to voice his answer; it was obvious he didn't want to help. Katara frowned as she saw Iroh's smile fall a bit. "Very well, then. But I hope you will be more willing to cooperate in the future."

 _I doubt that_ , Katara thought as she glared at the prince. He didn't seem too interested in helping, apparently preferring to sit and sulk while Katara and Iroh did their part to survive. _Stupid, spoiled prince._

Katara and Iroh set to work. Katara bent a small stream of water out of the ocean, forming a small orb of water between her and Iroh. From there, Iroh would use his firebending to heat the water. Katara watched as the orb would slowly evaporate, and she began to use one hand to pull the water vapor out of the air, using her other hand to maintain the orb of salt water. It was rather complicated, more difficult than just pulling water from the air; she had to put her focus into each task concurrently. Taking the water from the vapor and holding the salt water orb. The used one hand for each task, and several times she faltered, bending the wrong orb, or almost dropping one. The balls of water weren't perfect and were more like randomly shaped blobs. It was a very difficult process, but finally all of the sea water was evaporated, and Katara used her now free hand to pull to vapor into the other ball of water.

"That was some excellent bending," Iroh praised. Katara smiled, feeling a surge of pride. She had done it. It was difficult, but she managed to do it, all on her own. And although she would have preferred praise from Master Pakku over that of an enemy, she still appreciated Iroh's words.

"Thanks," she finally let out. The old man truly didn't seem so bad for being Fire Nation. Katara supposed that this was a good thing−she and Zuko would have clashed, possibly to their deaths, if Iroh hadn't been there to intervene. _At least it's not just me and Zuko_ , she thought.

"Zuko," Iroh beckoned his nephew over. "We've done it! We've made fresh water. I told you that we could work things out if we cooperated." Zuko looked over to them, looking momentarily disbelieving, before glancing at the orb of fresh water that Katara was holding up. For just a second, Zuko locked eyes with Katara. Disbelief, hope, mistrust, Zuko's eyes showed them all. Katara just looked at him blankly and she almost raised her eyebrow. _It's not poisoned, jerk. I'm drinking it, too._ Zuko looked away and came closer.

"We haven't got anything to put the water in," Katara pointed out. "And I can't hold this up forever. So…I guess we'll drink what we've got for now, and in a few hours Iroh and I can make more." Iroh nodded approvingly, while Zuko scowled.

"And how are we supposed to drink it? You just said there's nothing to put the water in." Zuko sounded irritated, and Katara began to wonder if the prince was ever happy.

Katara looked at the water, and pulled some out. She opened her mouth and used her bending draw some water in. "There," she said after swallowing. The water was wonderful−she hadn't realized until then just how dehydrated she was. Her mouth had been parched and the water felt amazing as it soothed her dry throat. "Just open your mouth, and I can guide the water in."

To Katara's exasperation, Zuko just got upset again. "We're not animals!" he shouted indignantly.

Katara clenched her fists. She was resisting the urge to throw her hands up in the air as she shouted back. "Fine! You can just sit there then. More water for Iroh and I! You know, we're trying to survive. And you just sit there and complain!? Well, I'm sorry that life on a piece of driftwood isn't fancy enough for you! If you don't feel like helping, or even appreciating what we do, then you can just sit there are starve for all I care."

"Fine!" he snapped.

"Fine!" He turned away from her again, and Katara did the same. Her water was rippling unstably with her anger, and Katara stuggled to keep it up.

 _Zuko is impossible_ , she thought. _I thought he was bad before, what with him chasing us all over the world…but actually spending time with him? How is it even_ possible _for one person to be so infuriating?_ Katara heard a tired sigh, and turned to see Iroh, sitting between her and Zuko. He was shaking his head, and pinching the ridge of his nose.

"Water?" she offered. He had done nothing to offend her; in fact, she found herself increasingly surprised by Iroh's geniality. And, frankly, she was starting to feel bad for him. How long had he been putting up with Zuko's attitude? She was about ready to scream, and she'd only been with Zuko for part of a day.

The old Fire Nation general smiled appreciatively and nodded. Katara bent a bit of water over to him and he drank it gladly. "Ah, thank you, Katara."

"You're welcome," she returned, offering him a small smile.

"Zuko will come around," he told her quietly. He frowned. "My nephew is prideful. He thinks he can do everything on his own…he doesn't like relying on others, much less someone he would usually consider an enemy. This situation, this helplessness…Zuko is lashing out, unfortunately at you, but give him time."

"I'm not helping him if he doesn't help us," Katara told Iroh. That was how it was done in the Southern Water Tribe and how it was done with Aang and Sokka. Once again, Katara felt a pang of loneliness at the thought of them. She missed them. And, she realized, it had to be even worse for them. To her, she had only been separated from them for a few hours. But she had been unconscious for four days−and Aang and Sokka would have undoubtedly been looking for her during that time. _They must be so worried,_ she thought. _And Sokka…he lost Yue._ Katara also felt a small sting of loss as she thought of the princess. She hadn't known her as well as Sokka had, but she had talked to her a few times. Occasionally she had gone with Sokka and Yue on their outings, but she had spent most of her time at the Northern Water Tribe learning waterbending, or talking to Master Pakku. Still, she had been on fairly friendly terms with Yue, and had had a few conversations with her. She knew that Yue had loved her brother, even though she was already betrothed. _Stupid arranged marriage._ Katara closed her eyes for a moment, remembering Yue's last moments and her farewell to Sokka. _I should be with Sokka,_ Katara thought. _He just lost Yue and I should be there with him._

 _What does he think about me? Is he looking for me? Is Aang with him?_ Katara felt certain that they were looking for her. The question was, would they find her? From what she could tell, they were drifting away from the tribe, not to mention how far out the wave could have pushed them to begin with. Katara hoped they did find her, though she honestly wasn't certain what would be done about Zuko and Iroh. What would they do? Leave them in the ocean? Katara doubted Aang would go with that. He had refused to leave Zuko out in the blizzard before, and leaving them in the middle of the ocean with no food or drinkable water wasn't any better. So what then? Take them to the Northern Water Tribe? Somehow, Katara doubted they wanted prisoners, even royal ones. More likely they'd be killed. Of course, there was still Zuko to take into consideration. By all appearances, his obsession with capturing Aang went beyond rationality. Just a few days ago, he had taken Aang and waded into a blizzard with no way to get out of the North Pole. So if Aang were to show up for Katara, would Zuko attack Aang? In the middle of the ocean? Iroh, Katara suspected, wouldn't approve. He, at least, seemed to value survival over fighting enemies. He had talked Zuko down from fighting Katara, but could he convince Zuko not to attack Aang for the sake of survival?

Would he? As pleasant as Iroh seemed, Katara had to remind herself that Iroh was not only a Fire Nation general, but royalty. He was the Firelord's brother. He may be willing to work with a waterbending friend of the Avatar, but the Avatar was the greatest threat to his brother and the Fire Nation's war.

Katara groaned, rubbing her head. _This is ridiculous_ , she thought. _I've been around Iroh for a matter of hours and I'm already questioning our enmity._ He was incredibly strange. The way he talked to her, the way he praised her and smiled at her. You'd think he didn't even know they were enemies. In a way, he was just as frustrating as his nephew. Whereas Zuko was obviously a royal pain, who would yell and shout and literally breathe fire at the slightest offense, Iroh was so enthusiastically friendly, it was baffling. Katara idly wondered if all of the members of the Fire Nation's royal family were so…bizarre and extreme. She almost laughed at the thought. _If they are all crazy, then no wonder these two left home. They must all drive each other crazy._

Somehow, the idea of the Firelord's family being incredibly dysfunctional comforted Katara. And, in a way, it seemed…right. Thinking of Zuko, she had a hard time picturing the most evil guy in the world taking time out to have a wife and care for his children. She tried to picture the Firelord plotting the death and destruction of the world, and then walking a room over and playing with a toddler Zuko. It was a ridiculous image and suddenly Katara felt…sad. Sad because she really couldn't picture it. Firelord Ozai did have a family. But what sort of person could he be with his family when he was so cruel to the rest of the world? How could he possibly be caring towards his family when he carelessly rips other families apart? For a moment, Katara turned and looked at Zuko, who was still turned away from her. What…was his father like with him? Did Zuko see a different side to his father than the rest of the world? Or…had the Firelord been cruel to his own son?

 _Of course not_ , Katara chided herself. It was unfathomable. Whatever Firelord Ozai was like to the rest of the world, she supposed he must have had some affection for his family. Katara looked back to Iroh and considered asking about the royal family. _It could be useful information_ , she told herself. How many other relatives did the Firelord have? Who was set to inherit the throne? Katara figured it was Zuko, but then, the Firelord could have a child older than Zuko. Katara decided against asking Iroh. Friendly as he was, Katara would be surprised if he didn't answer her, but there was no guarantee that he'd be honest.

Katara was saved from her thoughts by her stomach grumbling, and it was only then that she realized that she was quite hungry. She looked over to Iroh. "I'm going to try to catch some fish," she told him.

He nodded, once again smiling. "And then I can cook them for you."

Katara spent the next hour using her waterbending to catch fish. There weren't many fish that had passed by their raft, and the ones that did were fairly deep underwater. Eventually, she caught three. One, she noticed, was considerably smaller than the others. "I guess this is mine," she said.

"Are you sure?" Iroh said. He looked genuinely concerned as he asked her. In truth, she was really hungry, but she knew she wasn't the only one.

"Yeah, I'm sure. So…you can cook them for us?"

Iroh nodded. "It won't be a delicacy, but it will be the best thing we've eaten in days." He was grinning. Katara actually laughed.

"I suppose that's true," she agreed.

She had already killed the fish and prepared it. All that was left was for Iroh to use his fire to cook it. He was about to start when they were interrupted.

"I could do that," Zuko's voice came. Katara was more startled than Iroh, and she turned around to see the Fire Nation prince standing beside her. He looked…calmer now, though he was still frowning. He wasn't shouting at least.

"You want to cook the fish?" Katara verified. Zuko looked at her, and for a moment Katara thought it was another glare. Then she realized it was less anger, and more determination.

"That's what I just said. I'll do it."

"Wonderful!" Iroh exclaimed, patting the empty space on the raft. Zuko took his seat there and Iroh's smile grew wider. Zuko stared at Katara expectantly and initially she was confused until she realized…

"You don't know how to cook, do you?" Zuko just scowled. "What, princes never need to cook?"

"No. We have servants for that."

Katara's eye twitched. "Well, sorry, we're fresh out of servants on our driftwood palace." Zuko glared at her. She sighed, trying to relax before they fought _again_. "It's not that hard," she told him. "We're not making fine cuisine. We just don't want the fish raw. So all you need to do is use your fire to cook the fish. That's it. Think you can do that?"

"Of course I can!" Zuko said defensively. "Peasant." He added that as an afterthought. Katara gritted her teeth. _Tui and La,_ she thought. _Please help me survive without going crazy. And_ please _get me away from_ him _as soon as possible._

She offered the smallest fish to Zuko, who punched forward, igniting the fish for a few seconds before putting it out. _He really hasn't cooked before._ When he was done, the fish was visibly overcooked. _Great. He turned my fish into a lump of ash._

"You don't actually set the fish on fire," she snapped at him.

Zuko looked over to her, still holding the fish. "You're the one that said I should quit complaining and help! Now _you're_ complaining?!"

"I think Zuko did well, considering it was the first time he's ever cooked," Iroh intervened. Katara wanted to snap at him, too. _You're not the one eating ash for dinner._ But Zuko paid attention to his uncle, and to Katara's surprise, the prince even looked a little pleased. It had to be the first time she'd seen him…well, he wasn't actually smiling, or happy. But for once, the prince didn't look angry or frustrated. Iroh continued, "Katara is correct, however. You don't normally set the food on fire. We still have two fish left; try holding them just over the fire."

Zuko nodded, grabbing the next fish offered to him. For a moment, he glanced at Katara, and she could have sworn she saw him blush. The two other fish weren't too great either. One was burnt again, but it was nowhere nearly as bad as the first one (this time, at least, it wasn't set on fire). The other one was done unevenly, with tips of it looking slightly raw. Iroh took the uneven one. Katara glared at the first one, which she had already offered to eat. Her stomach growled with hunger, and Katara supposed it would have to do. Reaching out for it, however, Zuko offered her the less burned, larger fish. She looked at him incredulously.

He wasn't meeting her eyes, and once again she could have sworn he looked embarrassed. "Just take the stupid fish." He muttered. She took it from him, leaving him with the worst of them.

The three of them sat in silence, eating the fish. Every once in a while, someone would be heard gagging. None of the three fish turned out well, but admittedly, it was better than starving.

"Thanks," Katara finally said, looking to Zuko, whose face was pinched as he ate the burnt fish. "You know…for cooking the fish." He was quiet for a moment Katara thought that maybe he would just ignore her.

"It's fine," he said. After waiting a few more moments, he spoke again. "Thank you…for the fish."

"You're welcome," she said. It became quiet again after that as everyone finished eating their fish. Once again, Katara was reminded of how awkward the entire situation was, and found herself wishing that she was back with Aang and Sokka.

The raft was mostly silent as Katara and Iroh once again worked together to create fresh water. This time Zuko took the offered water without complaint, acknowledging Katara's efforts with a small nod. Katara and Zuko didn't speak again before Zuko lay down and went to sleep. And as Iroh's snores filled the air, Katara figured that it was probably for the best that they didn't talk more than they had to. She didn't really want to talk to Zuko, anyways. Iroh, however, seemed happy to talk, and worse yet, actually seemed likable. Katara was with them for survival; for now they weren't her enemies. But they'd never be her friends, and no matter how long she was on the raft with them, she couldn't afford to forget that. So she decided to speak to them as little as possible.

She wasn't going to get attached.

 **Back to Zutara, guys!**

 **1\. I am hoping to finish polishing Part 1 tonight. At the very least, I'd like to start posting new stuff by Friday. I still have school, of course, so updates still might not be very fast. Sorry about that, but I will try to be mostly consistent.**

 **2\. Note on the timeline: this chapter picks up where chapter 1 left off. So, with Katara, Zuko, and Iroh, this fic is still on day 4. Aang and Sokka's part is actually further on. But, hey, that just means that you guys get more Zutara in the next few chapters!**


	6. Part 1 Chapter 6: Not So Different

Chapter 6: Not So Different

As the next two days on the raft passed by, Katara closely abided her decision not to talk to Iroh and Zuko. She slept, woke up, worked with Iroh to make drinkable water, and would catch fish which Zuko would then cook for them. She didn't talk to them, unless it was something important. They worked out their dynamics, how they'd work together to survive, and that was all they needed. Katara didn't need to talk to them.

Zuko seemed to have made the same decision−or maybe, Katara considered, he really was just unsocial. It was kind of odd to think of the angry prince as taciturn or quiet, but he spent most of his time on his side of the raft. _At least he's not complaining_ , Katara reflected. After their first day of near-constant fighting, he hadn't really said anything to her. He'd just come over and cook whatever Katara had caught, thank her for the fish, usually frowning the whole time, and then go back to his side of the raft. And that was fine with Katara. If she was doomed to be stuck with him, at least he was staying out of her way. She would occasionally notice him looking at her; he'd immediately turn away if she caught him. She only bothered to say anything about it twice.

The first time, Zuko had gotten upset again.

"Why are you staring at me?" Katara had snapped.

Zuko was, of course, scowling. "What?! I'm not staring at you!"

"I just saw you!"

"Why would I want to stare at you, peasant?"

At that point, Iroh had intervened.

The second time Katara said anything, Zuko got upset again, but this time he turned it around onto Katara.

"Quit staring at me!"

"Me?! You've been staring at me! You think I don't notice?"

Katara blushed. "I-what else am I supposed to look at? We haven't exactly got the most diverse view, you know!" She waved her hand to the expansive ocean, which was just as endless as it had been the day before.

The Fire Nation prince scowled deeper. "So it's okay for you to stare at me because you've got nothing better to do, but not me?"

At that point, Katara had just turned away from him. She reminded herself not to talk to him.

Iroh was another story. The Firelord's brother was oddly friendly as ever. Whereas his nephew had turned to sulking and steaming on one side of the raft, he remained cheerful, and would continue to try and initiate conversation with both of them. He spent more time with Zuko, thankfully. Katara would sometimes observe them. They seem close, she thought. The more she saw of them, the more she realized just how close. Angry as Zuko was, he showed another side when he was talking to his uncle. He would still be frowning, and Katara could hear the complaint in his voice, even if he tried to speak quietly. But he would actually talk to his uncle. And he seemed to value what his uncle had to say−whereas Katara would thank Zuko for cooking the fish and be done with it, Iroh would tell him what he'd done well, and what he needed to work on. And while the prince would always look disappointed when his uncle told him what needed improvement, he also looked the closest to happy when Iroh praised him.

 _Yes_ , Katara thought. _It's a good thing he's here, too._

But it also made it that much harder not to talk to them.

After Iroh would talk to Zuko, he would come to Katara's side of the raft and try to initiate a conversation with her. She would try to shut down the conversation, but in truth, it was hard. Iroh would come over offering a smile, asking if she was okay, and when Katara would try to shut him out, the old man would just look _so_ disappointed. It sort of stung−it just wasn't in Katara's nature to upset people. She'd feel guilty every time his smile slipped, but she'd find a new way to occupy herself, and she'd move on.

Eventually, though, she had to admit defeat.

By the fourth day, the silence was unbearable.

Katara had never considered herself to be particularly extroverted. True, she would be the first to go up to new faces, the first to shout "Hi!" and eager to make new friends, but she had never needed to speak. She was alright with silence and when it seemed that nobody wanted to talk, that was fine with Katara. Sometimes, she needed peace and quiet, too, and she hadn't ever really felt a large _need_ to converse. But then, she had never actually tried to go days without talking to people. Spirits, she missed Sokka and Aang. The fact that they were probably missing her only made the matter worse. She wanted to be with them, to tell them that she's okay, to talk to and just be with. She'd even be happy to wash Sokka's clothes. And she was even starting to miss Aang's marble trick, silly as it was.

As awkward as it was to be stuck with two enemies, Katara was starting to find it even more awkward to ignore them.

When Iroh came over to Katara to create fresh water again, he asked, as he always did, if she was alright.

Katara gave a small shrug as she bent the water. Two balls, one of salt water, and one of fresh water, which she was constantly taking from the air. She was improving, she noted with satisfaction. Whereas she could only take back a small fraction of the vaporized water on the first day, now she was able to take more and more back into liquid form. It was becoming much easier to do the whole process; the first time she and Iroh had done this, Katara had struggled to juggle the many things she was doing. Holding the ball of salt water, taking the water from the air, and holding the fresh water, all with two hands. She had barely managed it, and it had taken all of her concentration. The water was more blob than ball, and would frequently ripple and drip. But after three days of practice, she was finding that the process was becoming much easier. She was able to take the water from the air without severely disturbing the fresh water she was holding, and the sea water was almost completely unaffected by what she did with her other hand. _Even Master Pakku would have to be impressed,_ Katara thought.

It seemed her waterbending training was still going on.

"I'm alive," she answered Iroh. It wasn't _"I'm okay"_ or _"My life sucks right now."_ She wasn't okay. She felt lonely, even though she wasn't alone. But she was alive, and with life, came hope. _We may be surrounded by ocean right now, but we may find land, or be rescued._

Iroh gave a small "Hm" in acknowledgement of Katara's response. Every other time he had asked her how she was, she'd given him a bland response and stopped talking. He'd only look disappointed before moving on. He seemed to expect her to do the same now, but Katara was lonely, and despite her previous resolution to not speak to her raft-mates, she did need some human interaction before she went crazy.

"What about you?" she asked him. "Are you alright?" Iroh smiled, and Katara had to admit, she was glad to see the old general smiling again.

"I am well enough," he told her. "I do wish I had brought some tea leaves. I've gone far too long without any!" Katara laughed; of all the things wrong with their situation, he was most upset at the lack of tea? "When we find land, I'll have to make you a cup. I've had much experience with making tea, and I know how to bring out the best flavors." He smiled at her. "Making you a good cup of tea will be the least I can do for all you've done."

Despite her own view on the matter, Katara smiled back. "I'm just doing my part to survive this." And if they did survive, she doubted that she'd be sparing time to drink tea with Iroh. She'd have to track down Aang and Sokka. While she'd certainly hope they'd still be at the North Pole, the longer it was before she was on land again, the less likely they were to be there. After all, they had a time limit. Aang had to master all the elements before Sozin's Comet; he couldn't stick around the North Pole for long. He'd have to make his way back to the Earth Kingdom. They had discussed the possibility of going back to Omashu and getting Bumi to train him. _If I ever get back to land_ , Katara decided, _I'm going to Omashu. Even if Aang isn't there yet, maybe I can just wait for him._

"This isn't the best circumstances, I know," Iroh spoke again. "But the view isn't that bad."

Katara raised her eyebrow. "We're surrounded by the ocean. We have been for the past week, and will continue to be for who knows how long. Even a waterbender finds that view sort of dull after a while."

"Hmm," Iroh nodded. "But the clouds are different every day. And we have a better view of the sunrise and sunset than nearly anyone else in the world."

Katara smiled. "I suppose that's true," she acknowledged. They worked together for a few more minutes in silence. This silence, though, was more companionable than the silence of the last two days. It was comfortable, and after a few minutes, a thought occurred to Katara. "What happened to your ship and your crew? Were they…at the North Pole?" If they were, Katara realized, then they were almost undoubtedly dead.

Iroh nodded grimly, no longer smiling. "The crew was assimilated into Admiral Zhao's fleet before the invasion. They were there." The old general sighed, shaking his head sadly, and he looked much older than he had minutes before.

"Will you miss them?" As soon as the words left Katara's mouth, she realized how ridiculous they were; Iroh was so friendly, and had spent much time with them. Of course he'd miss them.

"I will," Iroh confirmed. "I spent three years on that ship with them. I spoke to them, ate with them. We enjoyed music nights together and would regularly speak about our homes, our families." Iroh closed his eyes. "Most of them, thankfully, didn't have spouses, or children. But those that did…my pain is nothing to what they will feel."

Katara looked away from Iroh, looking at the growing ball of fresh water. She had never really thought about the Fire Nation's side of the story. The war was wrong, the Firelord was evil, and needed to be stopped, but she had never paused to think about the Fire Nation's soldiers. Their wives and children. _Each Earth Kingdom town saved, each victory we gain, is a loss to some Fire Nation family,_ Katara realized. _I lost my mother to a firebender…how many firebenders have lost_ their _mothers and fathers to the war?_

The silence lasted only a moment as Katara processed this reality. Only a moment, but it was sickening. "I'm sorry for their loss," Katara said quietly. _This war is giving everyone grief. That's why we all need the Avatar._ "Does Zuko miss his crew? On a personal level, I mean. Not just for doing chores."

Iroh sighed, looking over to his nephew, who was sitting on the other side of the raft. He was looking away from them, and Katara hoped that he hadn't heard her mention him. Talking to Iroh was easy, almost normal despite their respective loyalties, but talking to Zuko was another thing altogether. "My nephew would never admit to feeling the pain of their loss," Iroh told her. "But I do believe he feels it. After all, they were the only people he really interacted with for three years. Even though he never tried to socialize with them, or even try to be friendly, I do believe that Zuko misses them." Iroh stopped for a moment, and his mouth became thin, his eyes narrowed. "I told Zhao not to trifle with the spirits. I warned him."

"Thanks," Katara said suddenly. "I remember, you tried to get him to let the Moon Spirit go. Thanks for trying."

Iroh nodded. "I had to. The world is already out of balance…but for the Moon Spirit to be killed would have been a point of no return. All would have suffered." Katara nodded in agreement. It wouldn't be for some time later that she stopped to think about how the Firelord's brother just admitted that the world was out of balance, and just what the implications were.

"So…I suppose Zhao would have been killed in the wave, right?" Katara had just thought of it. It would, at least, lend some justification to the situation she was in. At least then, the wave that left her stranded in the middle of the ocean would have achieved something.

Iroh however shook his head. "The Ocean Spirit was furious. After La destroyed the fleet, he returned to the city. He found Zhao and took him into the water…Zhao will never been seen in this world again…I doubt his fate was pleasant."

Katara shivered, thinking of what the crazy Admiral's fate may have been. She was glad to hear that he was gone; the man had been a lunatic, and had endangered the whole world. Still, the spirits were undoubtedly angry, and whatever awaited the man would probably be one of the worst punishments ever seen. "So, you saw him being taken?"

"No," Iroh told her. "Zuko did, and he told me about what happened while we waited for you to wake up." Iroh's smile returned, and he once again became the genial old man. "You should ask Zuko to tell you about it. It's quite the story, even if Zuko's storytelling skills could use some work."

Katara laughed, but it wasn't a happy sound. "I'm sorry, but I think we've already established that Zuko and I shouldn't talk to each other. All we do is make each other angry, and I don't feel like making you play mediator any more than you have to."

Iroh gave a small shrug, still smiling. "Perhaps. But I think the two of you could get along quite well, if you gave each other a chance. In all honesty, you're actually not no different from him."

Katara's eyes widened, and she then she scowled, dropping the water she'd been holding up. "Hey! I'm _nothing_ like Zuko!" she shouted indignantly.

Iroh's mouth twitched as he continued smiling. Katara just glared at him for a moment, wondering what he found so funny. Had she been paying attention, she'd have noticed that Zuko was now staring at them, listening to their conversation with disbelief. Slowly, Katara realized what it was that Iroh found so amusing. "Alright, fine. I just acted like Zuko. But I assure you, our similarities end there."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Iroh told her. "And you won't know unless you try to talk to him. I think you may be surprised." Katara continued to frown. _Zuko's just a big firebending jerk,_ she thought. Iroh continued, "If nothing else, I think it could do Zuko some good to spend time with someone closer to his own age."

Katara blinked. "How old is Zuko?"

"He turned sixteen earlier this year." Iroh was smiling fondly.

Katara blinked again. Zuko was sixteen? She had never consciously thought about how old Zuko was. She knew he was young, and she could remember the first time she'd seen him.

 _"You're just a child!"_

 _"Well, you're just a teenager."_

Somehow, though, she hadn't ever really processed this. She looked over to where Zuko was sitting. He was looking their way, and Katara realized that he'd probably heard at least part of their conversation. He met her eyes for a brief moment, before turning away to glare into the distance. She had a perfect view of his unscarred side, and from there she could see how old he was. _Huh. He really isn't much older than Sokka._ She supposed his hairstyle, combined with his constant scowling, had been what obscured his age.

"My nephew hasn't spoken to anyone his own age in nearly three years," Iroh told her. "I do think it would help him."

"Maybe," Katara said. "But all he and I do is argue. That's not helping anyone."

"But perhaps if you do speak to him," Iroh pointed out. "Then you and he could learn to speak without arguing. We don't know how long we will remain adrift. Do you really think you and he can continue ignoring each other?" Katara frowned. It was awkward. But would trying to talk to him be any less awkward? Katara looked over to the teenage prince again.

Katara gave a small sigh. "I dropped the water we collected earlier," she said, changing the subject. She pulled some of the water she'd dropped from the raft, and pulled another ball of salt water. "We'll have to start again."

She and Iroh set back to work on making drinkable water, talking about a variety of harmless subjects. Iroh, she learned, loved tea, and could name a million different plants to make tea with. Eventually, they finished, and after they drank their shares of water, she got up and went over to Zuko.

"Here," she offered. Zuko drank the water while she waited and bent the water to his mouth. She sat near him…not close, but close enough to talk.

After Zuko finished drinking, he looked to her. He wasn't glaring, at least. "Thank you," he said. It was awkward, and quiet, but it gave Katara courage to speak to him.

"You're welcome." She waited for a few more moments, trying to think of what she could possibly talk to him about. "Your uncle told me to ask you about Zhao." Zuko scowled again. "He said you saw him being taken by the Ocean Spirit. Could you tell me about it?"

Zuko continued to scowl, and Katara wondered if he'd just ignore her, or blow up at her. "I fought Zhao," Zuko finally said. "At the North Pole, I fought him."

Katara raised an eyebrow. But then, was it so surprising? As obsessed as Zuko was with capturing Aang, maybe even he saw the madness in killing the moon. "Why would you fight Zhao? He was on your side, wasn't he?"

"Zhao has _never_ been on my side!" Zuko snapped. "He has always hated me−even as a child. I don't know what I ever did to him, but he has always taken _every_ chance he's had to spite me. Don't you remember what happened at the temple?"

Katara thought back. "Roku's temple? Zhao tied you up, didn't he?" That was strange, now that she thought about it. Tying up a prince?

Zuko nodded. "When I saw him at the North Pole, I couldn't possibly turn away from that fight. And it was my right, after he tried to have me killed." Zuko was gritting his teeth.

Katara's eyebrows rose. "He tried to kill you? When was this?" And what had Zhao been thinking? Did he figure the Firelord would _thank_ him for killing his son?

Now Zuko was glaring at her. "Pirates," he told her. "I never would have met them if you hadn't stolen that scroll!"

"What?!" What was he getting upset at her for−and when did the conversation turn to those pirates? That had been weeks ago!

"Zhao hired those pirates to kill me," Zuko told her. "I wouldn't have met them in the first place if it weren't for you!"

"So now it's my fault they tried to kill you?" she said indignantly. " _You're_ the one that decided to work with them, and then attack them!"

They glared at each other for a moment. _I knew this was a bad idea._ But then they turned away from each other. After a few moments, Zuko began speaking again. "They snuck onto the ship after Zhao took my crew. The planted a bunch of explosives and blew up the whole ship." Katara listened, shivering slightly as she remembered those pirates. "It didn't work," Zuko concluded.

Katara sniggered a bit. "Obviously." Zuko glared at her again, but she didn't return it this time. "So…when you saw Zhao at the North Pole, you attacked him to get revenge for trying to kill you?"

"I was well within my rights to kill him for what he did." Zuko frowned. "The Ocean Spirit got in the way."

"So…if the Ocean Spirit hadn't killed him, then you would have?" she clarified.

"When it grabbed Zhao, I offered my hand to Zhao. I asked him to take it, so I could…save him. But he refused. He chose to die rather than be indebted to me." It became silent after that. Katara's eyes widened. _Zuko tried to save Zhao? Even after the man tried to kill him?_ It was…certainly an interesting story to hear. Actually, it sounded like something that belonged in her tribe's legends. But the truly odd part was… _Zuko would be the hero of the story_. It was…amazing, strange, and unexpected. Katara opened her mouth to ask…something. Why Zuko had done it, who was winning the fight when La interrupted, something, but she could see that Zuko was consumed by his own thoughts. He was staring out at the ocean. Katara excused herself, still contemplating her (actually civil) conversation with Zuko as she used her waterbending to catch fish.

And perhaps later, when they ate the fish, her thank-you to Zuko may have been just a little bit warmer.

 **1\. This is the fourth day that Katara is awake. Day 7.**

 **2\. It's still going to be a while before the Zutara really starts to take off. Remember, right now they're allies of circumstance, not friends (and neither plans on having their alliance last longer than their time on the raft). Don't worry, though, they'll get there!**

 **Can't wait to finish polishing this. I think I can finish up pretty quickly, and give you guys an ACTUAL update, soon!**


	7. Part 1 Chapter 7: A Moment

Chapter 7: A Moment

Things continued much the same over the next few days.

Katara would wake up. Zuko and Iroh were always awake before her. "Firebenders rise with the sun," Iroh told her once. The words sounded familiar, but Katara couldn't entirely place from where. But when Iroh said it, she had noticed Zuko look away from her, and she could guess where she'd heard it. _It must be like with waterbenders_ , she thought. _If waterbenders are stronger at night when the moon is out, then firebenders are stronger at day…_

Iroh would smile and say "Good morning!" and ask if she slept well. She'd return his greeting, and tell him that she slept well enough. Surprisingly well, considering her company. After the first few nights of difficulty in falling asleep, she had begun to find it easier. Perhaps because she was exhausted from the first couple nights. Perhaps it was because she was becoming more adjusted to the wobbling driftwood. Or maybe, just maybe, she was becoming a little more comfortable with her company…not that she _said_ that.

Zuko wouldn't acknowledge her except for looking at her for a moment, and then looking away. While that certainly wasn't friendly, it wasn't hostile, either. He wasn't glaring at her every time he looked at her anymore−well, not completely glaring, anyways. He was still almost always frowning, except when he was talking to his uncle, in which Zuko's expression became a more neutral, the closest thing to happy Zuko seemed to be capable of.

(Katara idly wondered if there was anyone in the world besides Iroh capable of bringing out that expression on Zuko.)

She and Iroh would set to work in turning the salt water around them into fresh water. This quickly became a relaxing, and even enjoyable, task for Katara. After all, she was practicing her bending as she did it. It took an enormous amount of concentration to juggle everything she was doing, but every day her blobs of water became more refined, every day she could take more and more water from the air. Katara thought back to a conversation she'd had with Master Pakku. He told her about the strengths and weaknesses of waterbending. The first, of course, was that there had to be water to bend. Another one was that waterbending could, at times, be hard to fully utilize in thick of a battle.

* * *

 _"Our movements are fluid," he explained. "Just like the element we bend. And this works, this is how the art began. But it can also put us at a disadvantage compared to the other elements."_

 _"How?" Katara asked. "I mean, no bending art is stronger or weaker than the others, right?"_

 _"That is true," Pakku agreed. "But, as I've been trying to explain, all elements have their weaknesses. This is one of ours." He motioned her to follow him to the canal. "Watch closely; you see that I can form shields of ice. I can send blasts of many designs to attack my opponent." He demonstrated several moves before stopping and talking again. "But water takes more concentration than most other elements. Whereas air can be sent to sweep away many opponents, or earth can be thrown through one burst of movement, waterbending requires concentration to continue controlling the movements…what happens if you only throw the water at your opponent?" he asked Katara._

 _"It just splashes them," she answered, recalling her early fights with firebenders. I t had done a good enough job of distracting them, but only for a second. It didn't really help much in a real fight._

 _Master Pakku gave a curt nod. "We must continue controlling the water in every movement. Every shield, every water whip. Do you understand how this weakens us?"_

 _Katara thought about it. "We're slower than other benders?"_

 _"Every one of the other elements can give a basic push and release their elements towards the target. Once that is done, they can then go onto their next move. We can't do that, and this especially weakens us when we're outnumbered."_

 _"Because they could tag-team us," Katara concluded. "While we're busy concentrating to fight one skilled opponent, another one can come and get through us."_

 _Master Pakku nodded, and Katara felt a bit of pride as she saw his approval. "Yes. We are vulnerable in fights against more than one opponent. Unless they are in a position where we can eliminate them at the same time, we may not be able to take them both. We turn our defense into our offence, but very few waterbenders have enough control over their bending to do two separate actions."_

* * *

Katara felt proud as she bent the salt and fresh water−she was doing what Pakku said few waterbenders could do. And she was getting better at it. And she was solving the first problem, too, taking water from the air.

Katara would talk to Iroh, and it became less and less awkward. The man was like a beacon of friendliness and wisdom. Both of which he seemed to enjoy sharing. He had a large collection of proverbs, which actually seemed to grate on Zuko's nerves. She remembered hearing him complain a few times. Katara found herself warming up to Iroh. He was Fire Nation…but he also seemed to be a good person. Actually, he almost reminded her a little bit of Master Pakku in his less cranky moments. She could see the two old masters as friends, if they ever met each other.

Of course, if they ever did meet, then that would be very bad. A meeting between the Firelord's brother and a waterbending master could only be in a very vicious fight.

(And Katara didn't want either of them hurt.)

Katara would use her waterbending to catch fish. This was the quietest of her daily activities. It reminded her of life back at the South Pole, when she was completely self-taught, when it was just her and Sokka. It reminded her of life on the way to the North Pole, when it was just her, Sokka, and Aang. She missed them so much…and they undoubtedly were missing her. _They must think I'm dead by now_ , Katara thought sadly. _I've been gone for over a week, almost two. I'm so sorry, guys…I_ will _find you again, I promise._

And then Zuko would cook the fish. He was getting better at it, at least sort of. At the very least, he didn't set any of the fish on fire. Some would be unevenly cooked, some would be burned, some weren't fully cooked. Katara would thank him for cooking the fish, and he'd thank her for catching them. It was still stiff, and they'd look at each other oddly.

At least they hadn't fought too much. Whenever they did, Katara always felt guilty for making Iroh have to play mediator. Now she and Zuko seemed to have…a slightly more civil conversation. Not like the conversations she'd have with Iroh. Those were exceedingly warm and carefree, more like talking to a trusted elder than to an enemy. Her conversations with Zuko were more stilted and clipped. She didn't really know what to talk about with him.

She didn't want to talk Zuko about Aang…she really didn't want to talk about anything concerning the Avatar with Zuko. What peace they had accomplished would almost certainly be broken the moment Zuko's chase came into the picture.

She didn't want to talk about her family−whereas she had spoken to Iroh a little bit about Sokka and her father, she didn't really want to broach the subject with Zuko. They may be civil, but she really didn't feel comfortable talking about something so personal with him.

She really didn't want to talk about the war at all. No, she did want to talk about it. She wanted to yell and shout at the two Fire Nation royals, yell about the earthbenders in prisons, yell about the Air Nomads, yell about her mother being taken away from her, but she knew she couldn't do that. Zuko would undoubtedly yell back, and then they'd be fighting again, and then they would just be back where they were before.

(There is no war on a raft.)

Iroh thanked Katara, and wished her to have pleasant dreams, before he settled down and went to sleep. Katara stayed awake, gazing at the moon. _Yue. Please help me get home_ , she thought. _Please help me get back to Sokka and Aang. I can't abandon them._ Finally, Katara sighed and turned away.

And there was Zuko, standing not far away, glaring towards her.

She scowled back. "What're you glaring at me for?"

Zuko's expression met hers. "I'm not glaring at you," he snapped.

"Seriously? I saw you!"

"Why do you assume every time I'm looking in your direction I'm looking at you? I don't care about you!" Zuko's voice was getting louder.

Katara wanted to snap back at him, but she heard Iroh's snores. So she just put her hand to her head, squeezing her temple. "Look, can we not fight right now? Your uncle's trying to sleep, and I really don't want to make him wake up to play mediator between us." Zuko frowned deeper, but he nodded. For the next few minutes, they stood there. Zuko, she now saw, was gazing out past her. "So…what are you looking at then?"

Zuko looked to her, looking slightly confused as he frowned. "The ocean."

Katara blinked. She turned around to look at where he'd been looking, and then turned back to him. "Well…yeah. I mean, it's not like there's much else to look at." Her lips twitched.

Zuko scowled deeper, and his face turned slightly red. "You're the one who asked!"

"Sorry, sorry," Katara quickly apologized. "I guess what I really meant to ask, was what are you thinking about?"

Zuko calmed down a little, but continued frowning. For a moment Katara thought he was going to just ignore her, but then he responded. "I was thinking about how much I really hate this. This stupid raft! I'm stuck here…my uncle's stuck here…and you're stuck with us." Zuko shook his head. "And I just wonder if we're ever going to make it off. If we're ever going to make it to land again."

"We will," Katara said reflexively.

Zuko looked at her and scowled. "That's naïve. You have no way of knowing when we'll make it to land− _if_ we'll make to land."

"And you're being pessimistic," she shot back. "Look, we're alive aren't we? We've got water, we've got food. We can make it! So long as we're alive, we've still got hope. We haven't lost until we give up." Zuko's eye widened a little bit, and he looked a bit struck.

"Never give up without a fight," he said quietly. Katara nodded.

"We will make it, Zuko." She frowned, a look not of anger or sadness, but of determination. "I'm not letting my life end here."

For a moment, Zuko continued to look at her, appearing slightly awestruck, then he nodded strongly. "Me neither. I just…" He sighed angrily. "Sometimes I wonder if the Spirits hate me. All the luck I had in my life…was all taken just for me to be born." He said this cynically, bitterly, and all Katara could do was stare. She could only stare, because this was…unfamiliar. She was well acquainted with angry "I must capture the Avatar!" Zuko. She was familiar with the Zuko that enjoyed being praised by his uncle. She knew the silently seething Zuko.

But this melancholy Zuko…she'd never seen him before.

So she just took a few steps closer to him, trying to offer a small smile. "We'll make it through this," she told him firmly. Zuko looked at her again, and, going back to frowning, nodded stiffly. They stood there awkwardly, neither knowing what to do best. Katara considered lying down and sleeping, but her heart was…going faster, and she felt just a little bit weaker in the knees. In retrospect, she'd know that this was a moment where everything had changed. She had stepped onto a new path; put her foot through a door she hadn't even known was there. Even now she could feel that the moment she and Zuko had just shared was…different. It was something wholly unexpected, but also pleasant. Special.

For now, she had no idea what it meant, and didn't know what to do next.

Zuko was the first to break the silence−the first time he'd initiated any of their conversations. "You must miss your friends."

She nodded slowly. "I do. My brother…and Aang. You know the girl that became the Moon Spirit? My brother was in love with her," she continued without waiting for him to respond. "She was sort of my friend, too."

"I didn't know Zhao was going to kill the moon," Zuko told her. "I don't think it was a good idea." Katara gave a small snort of laughter.

"No, really? Was it the vast darkness everywhere or the giant Ocean Spirit monster that tipped you off?" Zuko scowled and glared at her again. She put her hands up. "I'm kidding. Really. And…I'm glad you didn't support it." Zuko nodded stiffly. "And I suppose you must miss your ship…and your crew."

Zuko frowned and looked away from her. "It…doesn't matter," he said, but his voice betrayed a little bit of sadness. "I never really bothered to get to know any of them." _But that really bothers you now, doesn't it?_

Normally, Katara would respond to such a situation by comforting a person, hugging them, holding their hand, offering support…but this is so strange with Zuko. She doesn't really want to touch him, and she's certain that he wouldn't want her comfort anyways. So she changes the topic. "When we get back to land," she says, stressing 'when'. "I'm going to get back to Aang and Sokka." She notices Zuko's eyes narrow. "But I'm sure you already figured that."

He nodded. "I could follow you, you know. Or I could actually take you prisoner."

Katara raised an eyebrow. "Oh, that's smart. Tell the bender surrounded by her element, who supplies you with food and drinkable water that you're going to take her prisoner. That couldn't _possibly_ end badly."

"I could still follow you. You can't really do anything to stop me…and you have to have known that this wouldn't change anything."

Katara nodded, looking down slightly. Her eyes were sad. "I know. I knew we'd go back to where we were before. I'll never stop helping Aang, and I suppose you'll never stop trying to capture him. We're enemies. But…I suppose it will be hard." She looked over to Iroh. "Your uncle is a good man. Even if he is Fire Nation. He's just…" She shook her head. "It's hard not to think of him as a friend." She narrowed her eyes, looking back to Zuko. "I suppose you'll just keep chasing Aang? Like none of this ever happened?"

"I have to," he told her.

Why? She wanted to scream. But it sounded stupid in her mind. He's Fire Nation. The Firelord's son−of course he'd be after the Avatar. Aang was the only one who could defeat the Firelord and end the Fire Nation's century-long rampage of domination and destruction. Of course Zuko would be after the Avatar. They were enemies.

"Did the Avatar ever tell you about the time I rescued him?" Zuko asked, drawing her out of her thoughts.

"What?" she exclaimed. "When was this?!" She couldn't recall any time that Zuko had helped Aang.

"Zhao captured him. I broke him out."

Katara knit her eyebrows together. "Aang was never captured by Zhao." Not that he'd ever told her, anyways.

"He was," Zuko told her. "It was quite a while ago. Zhao managed to capture him and hold him in a base. I infiltrated it and broke the Avatar out." The Fire Nation prince gave a small smirk. "I didn't even use my firebending."

Katara looked at him dubiously. "Prove it."

His face scrunched up as he thought of some way to verify his story. "Frogs," he said suddenly. "He had a bunch of partially frozen frogs in his clothes." Katara's jaw dropped in recognition. "They started escaping, and I had to drag him away from them to get out of the base." Zuko scowled, an expression of irritation and disgust. "He said his friends needed to suck on them." He was now looking oddly at Katara.

She nodded slowly, still in shock. "Yeah…my brother and I were sick. Aang went to a herbalist for a remedy, and she told him that those frogs could cure us." She frowned. "It was really disgusting." Katara looked over to Zuko. "I suppose…you were just trying to capture him yourself?" He nodded. Katara opened her mouth and then sighed. "I can't believe he never told me…" Aang had been in danger, and she hadn't known? Of course, she was sick, but why hadn't he told her when he came back? Katara didn't like secrets… "Thank for getting Aang out, anyways," she said. And then, after a few more moments, "Did I ever thank you for saving my life? After the wave…Well, thank you, Zuko." She looked at him, offering a small smile.

Zuko looked surprised at her genuine thanks. "I…you're welcome? I couldn't just…" The Fire Nation prince looked away from her. "It wouldn't have been right to leave you there."

"Well, thanks." Katara let out a yawn. "I'm tired. I'm going to sleep now," she said, lying down. "Goodnight, Zuko."

She closed her eyes, quickly feeling the weightlessness of sleep.

"…Goodnight…Katara."

* * *

Aang and Sokka left the North Pole only two days after their search for Katara ended. It was fast, but that felt right. Sokka in particular was eager to leave the North Pole behind. "Lovely city," he told Aang. "But I honestly don't think I can even look at this place without thinking of Yue and Katara." The city was painful.

Aang had initially figured that they could go the way they came, on Appa, but Chief Arnook and Master Pakku had suggested an alternative.

"I'm leaving for the Southern Water Tribe," Pakku told them. "And a rather considerable amount of others are coming with me. Especially waterbenders. Katara told me all about the state of your home, and it's high time we go help our sister tribe."

Sokka's eyes lit up. "You're going to rebuild our tribe?" he clarified, excitement ringing in his voice. He remembered his Gran-Gran telling him and Katara about the great city the Southern Water Tribe had once called home. He remembered the tents and igloos that housed them now…the lame watchtower which had fallen over at the slightest push…the utter defenselessness of his tribe against the invading firebenders. Pakku and the others…were they really going to rebuild the Southern Water Tribe?

Master Pakku nodded. "Quite a few waterbenders have volunteered. Some, I think, intend on returning to the North Pole when we're done. But I know that many intend on staying in the South, including myself." He frowned. "I've been thinking about this since Katara told me that she was the last waterbender of the Southern Tribe…but I never thought I'd come bearing the news of her death." The waterbending master's face was drawn, his eyes sad. He looked…well, old.

"You're going to tell Gran-Gran?"

"Someone has to."

"You sure she's gonna want to hear it from you? I mean, she did run to the other side of the world to avoid marrying you."

Pakku frowned at him. "Perhaps Kanna won't be happy to see me," he acknowledged. "But I don't think the news of Katara's death should come from a total stranger."

Sokka nodded. "I can't go back, not yet anyways. I still have to help Aang. So thanks, I guess."

Pakku gave him a sympathetic look (which, Sokka thought, looked kind of weird on the man). "Grief, no matter how painful, will pass with time. You'll be alright Sokka."

Sokka nodded. "Yeah, I know." _Someday._

* * *

Aang guided Appa onto the ship. Appa let out a couple rumbles, mostly as a reaction to the large crowd which was seeing them off. Aang waved to some people as they passed. He sorted through their things…he became distracted as he looked at Katara's things.

There wasn't much. A bit of thread. The Waterbending Scroll that had gotten them into so much trouble. A crown (where had that even come from?). A few spare beads for her hair loopies. Aang found that his throat sort of hurt as he looked at these items…He knew that Sokka had the same reaction, finding tears in their eyes. They couldn't look at them without thinking of Katara. The good times, the bad times, the laughs and the arguments. These items were painful. Still, they knew that it would be even more painful if they didn't keep them…if they had none of Katara left at all.

As if she was never there at all.

And Aang smiled a little bit, his eyes still wet. _You're still with us, somehow, Katara._ He could feel it when he looked at her things.

"Hey," a quiet voice interrupted Aang. He turned around. He smiled, wiping his eyes.

"Hey, Senirra. What are you doing here?"

She offered him a tiny smile. "My family has done a lot of thinking since…Saroda's death has sort of changed things. It's just sort of bitter here, right now. So…we're joining Master Pakku's expedition to restore the Southern Water Tribe."

"Really? All of you?"

Senirra nodded. "Mm-hm. Except for my mother. She actually wanted to come, too, but she can't. She's pregnant, and it's probably not too great for her to be travelling across the world. I don't even know how she got pregnant." Senirra blinked, and Aang knew what was coming. "I mean, I know _how_ she got pregnant…of _course_ I know how. Not that I've ever done it! Not getting pregnant, though I've never done that either, I've never done things to get pregnant…but how did my mother do it…where did she find the time with four children, three of us still living with her?" Aang laughed. He knew that she wasn't actually trying to be funny, but still. Senirra gave an embarrassed laugh. "You know what I mean. Anyways, my family really just needs to get away for now, you know?"

"Yeah," Aang agreed. It was a shame. The city was so beautiful…and now so stricken with grief.

"We might return," Senirra continued. "Or we might not. We'll see how it goes in the South." She shrugged. She stood there awkwardly for a moment, and she noticed Katara's things. "I'm sorry you couldn't find her," she told him. She looked away. "I miss Saroda," she admitted.

Aang nodded. "I miss Katara." He looked away, and he saw Sokka coming to the ship. "We still have family," he said quietly. He offered Senirra a smile. "We just need to hold on to the ones we still have."

She nodded. "Draw strength from the remains," she said. "That's something my grandfather used to say."

"It's good advice."

They stopped speaking again for a moment. Then Senirra brightened. "So, I talked to Turotok−that's my oldest brother−and he agreed that since girls are going to be allowed to learn combative waterbending, and since we're going to the South, anyways, that he could teach me."

Aang smiled. "That's great, Senirra."

"Thanks."

Before long everyone who was leaving was on the ship, Sokka stood a ways away, looking at Aang and Senirra, but not joining their conversation. Chief Arnook came and addressed them, giving a farewell speech. The chief looked much older than he had when Aang had first arrived at the North Pole. His hair seemed to be turning grey…no wonder after what he'd lost. To Aang's recollection, the man had no other children. His line of chiefs had ended.

Senirra smiled at Aang, wishing him luck, before running off to join her brothers and father. Sokka came to Aang.

Their time in the Northern Water Tribe was over. It was time to move on.

* * *

It was on Katara's ninth day awake that she felt sweat pooling on her brow. At first, she wondered if she were imagining it. But when she touched her brow, her fingers felt dampness. She looked up to the sun, and she realized that, yes, she was too warm in her parka. So she took it off, leaving her in her usual outfit. Without the parka, it was pleasantly chilly out. As she sat down to turn the salt water into fresh water, she saw Iroh nodding.

"We are now out of Northern waters. We must be, if your parka is too warm."

Katara nodded. They had been drifting south.

"Hm," Iroh, rubbed his chin. "This is good," he announced. "The Earth Kingdom is very large…" He smiled largely. "Zuko," he said loudly. Zuko came over to them. "The Earth Kingdom is vast, covering more land than any other nation. And heading south from the Northern Water Tribe should take us to the Earth Kingdom's shores…do you two understand what this means?" The old man was smiling, absolutely radiating positivity. The two teenagers just stood there. They knew, of course, but they were still stunned.

"Our time on this raft is about to come to an end."

 **One more chapter to polish, and then we're on to Part 2!**

 **Few things:**

 **1\. If you're getting impatient for Katara, Zuko, and Iroh to get off of the raft, don't worry. They'll be off by the end of next chapter.**

 **2\. Beginnings of Zutara in this chapter! Yay, right?**

 **3\. I know some people worry about the Sokka and Aang chapters being super depressing, since they think Katara is dead. Don't worry! While much of their part WILL be a little gloomier than in the show, due to them having lost Katara, I assure you that they WILL find out that she's alive relatively quickly. It won't feel quick, probably at least ten more chapters before they find out. Sounds like a lot, but this is going to be a long fic. For the majority of the fic, I assure you, they will know she's alive. So, don't worry, the Sokka and Aang chapters won't be all doom and gloom.**


	8. Part 1 Chapter 8: First Flowers

Chapter 8: First Flowers

Two day later, they were still on the raft, but there was a new energy to their actions. They knew they were getting close to land, all they had to do was stay alive, and keep their eyes open. They agreed that once they spotted land, Katara could use her waterbending to get to land quicker.

She and Iroh were doing their task, preparing fresh water. Iroh was humming a song cheerily.

"That sounds like a nice song," Katara commented.

"One of my favorites," Iroh agreed. "Winter, spring. Summer and fall. Four seasons, four loves." He grinned. "That's the main verse, anyways. It is missing a little something without accompaniment, but it's still beautiful. When we get to land, I should buy a new tsungi horn, and then Zuko can play it for you!"

"I am _not_ playing the tsungi horn!" came his voice. Katara merely raised an eyebrow.

"Zuko plays the tsungi horn?" It was sort hard to picture him sitting down and playing any instrument.

"Rarely," Iroh told her. "He doesn't seem to appreciate music. Quite the shame, really. I remember him playing it as a child. He was quite skilled." Iroh smiled fondly. "Honestly, if he felt like it, he could probably play it better than I could."

Katara smiled. "I'll take your word for it." It was a shame everything would go back to the way they were before.

They continued their process. Iroh's smile became wider before he spoke again. "Do you know what I love about our process?" Katara shook her head. She enjoyed it because it gave her a good way at practicing her waterbending. Why did Iroh enjoy it? "Harmony," Iroh told her. "When we do this, we use two elements, opposites even, and we use them in tandem to create life. Fresh water. Our process wouldn't work without fire's heat to evaporate the water, which you pull from the air, into fresh water. Perfect harmony." He smiled serenely, looking at the orbs of water.

Katara looked at the fire in his hands, under the salt water, and the found herself smiling too. "Wow," she said. "I hadn't thought of that. That's…that's amazing!" _A sort of balance_ , she thought. _Like Aang._

Iroh nodded. "Yes. It's amazing what the different elements can accomplish when they work together. Had it only been you, or only been my nephew and I, our experience on this raft would have been far more unpleasant." He grinned. "Fire and water seem to make quite the team, don't they?"

Katara nodded.

She wondered…

* * *

The next day Katara noticed something.

On Zuko's head.

Her jaw dropped as she stared at him for a while.

Of course, he noticed.

"What are staring at me like that for?!"

"You have hair," she bluntly stated.

Zuko furrowed his eyebrows, looking irritated and confused. "What are you, blind? Of course I have hair! I've always had hair."

"Well, yeah, in your ponytail. Now it's growing all over," she told him, motioning around her head.

Zuko blinked, and then brought his hand to his head, fingers grazing across the short little hairs that had grown all over his head. "Well what do you expect me to do? I can't exactly shave out here!" He groaned. "I'll shave it as soon as I can. This must look so stupid…"

"Well, you look pretty stupid with that hairstyle, anyways."

His cheeks turned red. "No, I don't! And you don't get to talk about my hair." He smirked. "You know, yours isn't looking too great, either. Your hair's a mess."

Katara frowned. It was true, she supposed, putting her hand to her hair. Her braid had long since come undone, along with her bun, and she had opted for a more simple style. Either way, her hair had become increasingly tangled. She really needed to detangle it before it turned into a giant, unfixable knot. She really didn't want to have to cut it. For one thing, Water Tribe girls wore their hair long. And, more vainly, she considered her hair to be one of her better features.

"Fine," she told Zuko. "I'm sorry about insulting your hair. It's really none of my business."

Zuko looked a little surprised, perhaps by how easily they had avoided a fight. "Okay then…I'm sorry I insulted your hair." He frowned as he touched his hair again. "I guess we'll both have to groom ourselves when we reach land."

They went about their day normally, but every once in a while, Katara couldn't help but glance over to Zuko. She felt a bit curious and a little disappointed. She wondered what he'd look like if he grew his hair out. At one point she tried to visualize it, then she shrugged and moved on.

* * *

Katara liked talking to Iroh. While she had initially thought his friendliness was strange, bizarre and uncomfortable given who he was, she had come to appreciate him for who he was. A genuinely friendly and wise old man, who was quick to laugh, quick to tell stories, and quick to help.

"You know," she said to him. "Sometimes it's hard to believe that you're the Firelord's brother." She froze for a moment, wondering if that may have been the wrong thing to say. After all, Firelord Ozai was still Iroh's brother. He may not appreciate Katara's opinion on him.

Iroh frowned, a slightly sad and troubled expression. "My brother and I are very different people," he told her. He didn't seem angry, and Katara relaxed.

"So how much older is he?" Iroh seemed old enough to be a grandfather. How old was the Firelord, then? It could be useful information. _Then again_ , she thought. _Bumi was over one hundred years old, and he was still incredibly strong. Age doesn't mean much._

"Actually, Ozai is younger than me. By nearly twenty years, in fact."

Katara blinked. "But I thought…doesn't the oldest son inherit the title?" That was how it worked in her tribe, anyways. Of course, the bloodline could be challenged and a new line of chiefs could be established. But, still, if Iroh was the older brother, then… "Shouldn't you be the Firelord?"

Iroh gave a light frown, looking slightly uncomfortable. "That's a long and complicated story…and I suspect even more complicated than I may ever know," he glanced at Zuko as he said this. "Regardless, I honestly don't want to be Firelord." He resumed smiling. "I don't want the crown. Frankly, I'm retired, and I intend on enjoying the beauties of life, such as tea and Pai Sho, for as long as I can. I'd hardly be free to do as I wish with that crown, would I?"

"I suppose not," she agreed. She couldn't help but wonder, though, how things could have been different if Iroh were the Firelord. Iroh just seemed so…peaceful. It was hard to imagine him leading the Fire Nation in war against the world. Would he have continued the war? Would he have tried to make peace between the nations? Would the crown go to Ozai, anyways? To her knowledge, Iroh had no children. If so, then the crown would go to Ozai, and regardless of whether Iroh was a kinder Firelord, Ozai would probably pursue domination anyways. And after him… "Is Zuko next in line for the throne, then?" Did he have any siblings?

"I am," Zuko interrupted. "But only if I capture the Avatar." He was staring intensely at Katara, his gold eyes meeting her blue ones. She clenched her teeth and looked away. Iroh sighed, shaking his head. Katara went to the edge of the raft, looking into the water.

She needed to get some fish, anyways.

* * *

Zuko cooked the fish, one for each of them. This time, the fish were fairly equal in size. Zuko cooked his own last.

"Thanks for cooking the fish," Katara said.

Zuko just nodded. "Thanks for catching them."

A couple weeks ago, these words had been said only for politeness. They'd been hollow, said only because it was the proper thing to say. Now, however, they meant the words. They were more companionable, and they had come to appreciate each other. They ate their fish, Iroh telling Zuko that his cooking had much improved.

It really had, Katara noted. She debated whether to offer the compliment.

"I agree," she finally said. Zuko looked over to her, surprised. They never really spoke while eating, aside from their expressions of gratitude. "You've really gotten better at cooking the fish." She offered him a small smile.

"I…Thank you? I should've figured it out quicker. It's not like I've had anything better to do."

"I think you figured it out quicker than I would've." She laughed. "I should show you some other cooking techniques." She blinked after she said it, making eye contact with Zuko, who, once again, had shed the angry and frustrated expression. "Not that I'll be sticking around once we're on land." She looked away from him, staring at her mostly eaten fish. These were dangerous thoughts to be having, even for a moment. She wasn't going to be staying with Zuko and Iroh once they reached land. She was going to find her way back to Aang and Sokka, and Zuko was going to continue trying to capture Aang. They weren't going to be sitting around a shared camp, she wasn't going to be teaching him to cook, and he wasn't going to be playing the tsungi horn.

"Katara?" Zuko's voice was quieter than usual, and she looked back to him. "Thank you. For the compliment, I mean."

She looked at him and nodded.

Beside them, Iroh looked at the two of them with increasing interest.

* * *

Iroh stayed up, watching his nephew and Katara. They rarely spoke, but now, at least, they were capable of doing so without arguing. Zuko went to sleep first, saying an awkward goodnight to Katara. She gazed at the moon for a while.

Iroh was glad that Zuko had rescued her for many reasons.

It had been a bit of a surprise when he had first come on the raft to get Zuko out of the freezing arctic waters. He'd only been expecting his nephew, but instead Zuko had shown him the waterbender, telling him to help pull her out of the water, too. Zuko had pointed out her head wound. When working to heat himself, he had also taken it upon himself to help warm Katara up with his fire. And Iroh was so proud of him for it. Once again, he proved himself to be honorable, full of nobility and capable of great goodness. A far better man than his father.

Iroh was always happy to see those moments, the moments when Zuko's true self revealed itself from behind the shell of anger that Ozai had created. Zuko's Agni Kai with Zhao; Zuko endangering himself to rescue a crew member; and now, rescuing one of his enemies. A friend of the Avatar. Yes, Iroh was very proud.

He was also glad because, as he had told Katara, they wouldn't have done as well without each other. They may have survived without Katara, but it would have been much harder. Days filled with thirst and hunger. And Katara, had she even managed to survive without Zuko's rescue, would have been alone, with an untreated head wound, with no access to fresh water. Yes, it was best for them to be together.

But there had also been a less expected gift which had come from this. Friendship. Iroh had spoken to her freely and while she had initially been unresponsive, either from shyness, or perhaps wariness about speaking to someone from the Fire Nation, they soon developed a friendly relationship. Iroh enjoyed talking to her, and she seemed to appreciate his stories, songs and proverbs.

But, more than that, she was also becoming a friend to Zuko. Within the first day she was awake, Iroh had wondered if it would be possible. She reminded him of Zuko. The way she could be quick to anger, her sense of dignity. And, recalling a certain incident involving pirates and a waterbending scroll, he suspected she may also share at least some of his rashness. Yes, he was almost certain that they could be friends if they tried to talk without arguing. Considering that another one of the traits they seemed to share was stubbornness, it took unsurprisingly long for them to try to have a civil conversation. He had tried approaching the matter with Zuko several times, and of course, he chose not to listen. At the time, Katara had been refusing to speak to both of them. But, finally, when she spoke to him and he suggested she go talk to Zuko, she had. And he had spoken to her.

It would do Zuko much good to talk to someone his own age, Iroh was certain. It had been three years since his nephew had spoken to people his own age (in a friendly manner, at least). And even then, the only people he had ever interacted with were Azula and her friends. And while Azula only seemed to know how to tie people to her with fear, Zuko didn't seem to know how to form ties to new people at all. If this continued, Iroh worried, Zuko would grow into a man who knew his destiny, and right from wrong, but also a man incapable of forming true friendships. And what was life without those?

And it seemed as though the Spirits themselves had sent Katara into Zuko's path. After that first conversation, Katara and Zuko had become far more peaceful with each other. Companionable. Friendly, even. He noticed them talk more, whether it be a few short words, or a decent conversation. She smiled at his nephew. Far too many of the 'smiles' Zuko had been given were malicious smirks.

A few days ago, they had become much friendlier.

After their small conversation at dinner, Iroh began to wonder at exactly how deep this connection of theirs went. How much in common did they have? Where did they complement each other? Maybe Iroh didn't know how Zuko would interact with his friends, as he'd never seen Zuko with any. But after seeing the way they looked at each other, the way Zuko looked at her, he wondered if it was friendship he was seeing, or the start of something different.

 _Of course_ , Iroh noted sadly, _that could all be changed once we reach land._ Katara would leave, return to the young Avatar, and Zuko would continue to pursue them. And then, whatever they had formed, whatever they could have had, would be lost in a cycle of anger and bitterness. It was selfish, Iroh knew, to wish that they could remain lost on the raft for a little longer. And maybe Katara, being from outside the Fire Nation and a friend to the Avatar, could help guide Zuko onto the right path. Help him see the suffering of the world.

But, it seemed that that was not to be the case. Iroh suspected that they'd be reaching land within the next day or so.

He'd just have to trust in the Spirits, and trust in his nephew's capability of goodness.

* * *

Their eighteenth day on the driftwood was like all the days before it. Zuko and Iroh woke up at dawn. Katara woke up a little while later, and she and Iroh set to creating fresh water. It was around noon that the day changed from the rest.

"Do you see that?" Zuko demanded. He was staring intently at the horizon. "Uncle, Katara, do you see that?"

Katara peered out where Zuko was looking. She gasped. And then a grin formed on her face. "Land! There's land ahead!"

They were all standing, looking out at the small brim of land ahead.

"You can bring us in faster, I believe," Iroh said. She nodded.

She took a few deep breaths, excitement thrumming within her.

"Katara?" She turned around to look at Zuko.

"What?"

"I just…" he took his hand and put it on his head, looking away from her. "Thanks you. For everything you've done. And…" He looked at her, but still didn't meet her eyes. "I want you to know that I won't take you prisoner when we reach land."

She looked at him, mouth falling a little. "I…do you mean it? You promise?"

He nodded resolutely. "I swear…on my honor."

She looked at him, meeting his eyes. She remembered him tying her to a tree, going on about how he needed to capture Aang to 'restore' his honor. He had just sworn upon it…he claimed he lad 'lost' his, but it was clearly important to him, and… "I believe you. And…for the record, you don't need to restore your honor," she said, thinking of her experiences with him, what she knew of him. What happened with Zhao. How Zuko had even rescued her. "You're probably one of the most honorable people I know." It was a heavy admission, but it felt true. Zuko, despite his hot-headedness, despite his arrogance, despite being the prince of the Fire Nation, was…maybe not a good person, but he definitely had a strong moral code.

Zuko, upon hearing her words, looked shocked. And then that melted into a very different expression; for the first time ever, Zuko graced Katara with a smile. It really seemed to change his whole face. The scar was still there on one side, but the other side lifted, and his eyes practically glowed. If nothing else came of this adventure, at least Katara got to see him happy, just once. Sokka would never believe her.

"Should we be sitting down, perhaps? This may be unstable, and we wouldn't want anyone to fall out," Iroh said.

Katara nodded, and they all sat down. She took a deep breath. And she pushed their raft forward.

 _Finally._

* * *

Even with Katara's bending, it had taken over an hour to reach the land. Still, there was an energy between them, the excitement impossible to contain. Katara didn't take any breaks, not to fish, not to purify water; no, she was entirely focused on getting them to land.

"I like fish as much as the next person," Iroh had said. "But it would be nice to have a little more variety again."

Finally, they reached land. It felt a little unreal. But as she slowly bent their way closer to the shore, she knew it wasn't a dream. Finally, they left their raft behind and they stepped off, onto the muddy shore, taking their first steps on land in nearly three weeks.

"I never thought I'd miss walking without worrying about the ground swaying," she exclaimed. She laughed, almost doing a twirl. "I never thought I'd get sick of being surrounded by water!"

"You should try living on a ship for three years," Zuko told her as he walked up the shore. He looked around. "Uncle, does this place seem familiar to you?"

Iroh looked around too, before his face lit up in a huge grin. "Zuko, do you remember that stop we made a year into your search? The resort? With the nice spa?"

Zuko's jaw dropped. "We wasted nearly two whole weeks there! Now we're there again?!"

"Could this be any more perfect? I remember it so well. It was so relaxing, and such a nice little town beside it, too. The food was good, the tea was good, the massages were to die for. And it's friendly territory," he reminded Zuko. "A colony. So we won't have to worry about the Earth Kingdom, and you don't have to worry about actually being in the Fire Nation."

Zuko grumbled. "Fine. But only until we're ready to leave−we're _not_ wasting any more time than we have to here!" He turned to go to the resort. He remembered where it was. He'd been stuck there for plenty of time to remember where it was.

Iroh was smiling.

And Katara was just standing there, mouth open, as she realized just how bad this was for her. "We're in the colonies," she vocalized. And maybe that was okay for Iroh and Zuko, they were royalty. But for her? The waterbender friend of the Avatar? She was stuck in enemy land. Without allies. She was confident in her abilities, but if it was only her…there was only so much she could do, and _she was stuck in enemy territory_. "I'm in the colonies."

Iroh, at least, seemed to understand. "Zuko," he called to his nephew. "What about Katara?"

"What about her?" he asked as he came back.

"If we leave her, she'll be alone in her enemy's territory. There isn't a friendly village for some way, provided that Katara could find her way out of the colonies. _She could be killed_ , Zuko."

Understanding dawned on Zuko, and he gave Katara a quick glance. "Well, what are we supposed to do about it? We are not spending any more time out in the wilderness. We're not her escorts. And we can't just bring her into town with us."

"Why not?" Iroh asked. He looked to Katara, a huge smile coming onto his face. "I think that's the best option right now."

"I'm sorry," Katara spoke. She wasn't going to just stand around letting them make plans for her. "But I'm pretty sure they'd know I'm Water Tribe. I mean, even if they couldn't figure that out by my eyes, my clothing makes it pretty obvious." She motioned to her blue kimono and her mother's necklace.

"It wouldn't matter," Iroh told her. "If I tell them that you're with us, and to be treated as a friend of mine, then I assure you they'd accept you whether you were Water Tribe or Fire Nation. So what do you say? It's the best option for now, if you'd be willing to spend a few more days with us."

Katara frowned, considering the option. She'd only really been to one other Fire Nation colony, and that hadn't ended particularly well. _Of course, that was mostly due to people realizing that Aang's the Avatar, and Iroh says that they shouldn't care that I'm Water Tribe if he says I'm okay._ So there was that. Still, though, it felt strange and the idea of intentionally spending time in a town full of people loyal to the Firelord wasn't particularly comforting.

"I won't be a prisoner?" she verified slowly, eying the two Fire Nation royals.

"You won't," Zuko said immediately. After all, he had already promised that he wouldn't take her prisoner when they made it back to land.

"I swear upon my lotus tile," Iroh told her. "You will be free to leave as soon as you please."

She nodded. "Okay then. I guess I'm coming with you." She sounded surprised at her own words. She was surprised at her own words.

"Wonderful," Iroh said cheerfully. He began walking and the two teenagers followed. "I'll have to get a massage while we're there. You two should, too, they give the best massages here in all the colonies."

Somewhere along the line, Katara had to admit, she had formed a sort of trust for the two firebenders. _Now I just have to hope I'm not wrong._

* * *

Iroh regaled Katara with the details of his last visit to the town two years previously. She smiled, as it was obvious that he had very much enjoyed it. _He deserves some relaxation now, too,_ she thought. _After putting up with me and Zuko for the past few weeks, he probably needs a massage and rest._ He also told her that it was an incredibly beautiful place. The cherry blossoms, he explained, were absolutely gorgeous as they bloomed in the spring, and they practically covered the town.

"You might get to see them," he told her. "It's that time of the year now, when they bloom."

Katara had to admit, she was sort of hoping that she'd get to see them. She'd never really gotten to see any flowers. She knew what they were supposed to look like, of course, but she'd never actually been around anywhere that had any. She grew up in the South Pole, and it was still winter when she, Sokka, and Aang had traveled from the South Pole to the North. It would be nice to get to actually see real flowers in bloom.

Iroh had suggested that she keep her waterbending secret, if possible. While he said that the people of this town were typically friendly, they may not react too well if they put it together that she was one of the friends of the Avatar.

"You know, I'm almost insulted that they haven't actually figured out my name," she told him as they walked along. "I mean, I helped him loads of times. I'm not important enough to remember?" She was mostly joking, really. She was glad she didn't have to use a fake name.

"Just because your name isn't known, doesn't make you any less great. You're more like a legend that way. And legendary is good enough, don't you think?"

Katara smiled. _The Legend of Katara_ , she thought. _The Last Waterbender of the South. A sad title, but somehow, it also sounded important._

Finally, small speck of pink appeared through the trees. As Katara saw it, she wondered what it was. Pink clouds was her first thought, as that was what the pink blobs looked like. Then she realized… "We're here!"

Iroh nodded. "And I was right. We are just in time for the cherry blossoms!" He was smiling broadly. They quickened their pace and Katara's face grew into a giant grin as she saw the flowers−real flowers−blooming from the trees. Iroh hadn't been exaggerating, they were practically everywhere. And they were beautiful. Katara completely forgot about the past few weeks as she stared at all of the flowers. When they were closer, she looked at them, now seeing all the tiny flowers that made up the pink clouds. As they passed into the town's entrance, she saw a branch within arm's reach, so she took her hand and ran her fingers across the petals. It was different from what she had expected. She had thought they'd probably feel something like leaves, study and slightly tough. Instead, it was thin, light, and almost fleshy. The little strings in the middle tickled her fingers a bit. She picked one from the branch, holding it in her hand for a moment, before a slight breeze passed, blowing it right out of her hand. I wish we could have these in the South Pole. But these would be impossible to grow there…I wonder what other sorts of flowers there are?

As Iroh began talking, introducing himself, and being remembered from his previous visit, Zuko noticed Katara's fascination with the flowers. He frowned at her, also raising his good eyebrow. Katara finally noticed.

"I've never seen flowers before," she told him. "Don't I get to be curious?" She turned back to them, smiling. "They're beautiful." Zuko looked at her, the flowers, and then shrugged.

"So we've been stranded on a piece of driftwood for nearly three weeks. We would much appreciate some hospitality and relaxation," Iroh finished as they entered the town's inn.

"Of course," the town's mayor said. His eyes wandered to Katara. "Although, if I may ask about the Water Tribe girl? Why is she here?" Katara tensed. Iroh had said she'd be okay, but…

"That's my nephew's girlfriend," Iroh cheerfully announced. Katara nearly jumped in surprise. What?! Her eyes had widened slightly and she quickly shut her mouth before she made Iroh's lie completely obvious. Instead she forced a smile that probably looked just a little crazy.

Zuko, apparently, was an even worse liar. "Uh, yes! She's my girlfriend!" He grabbed Katara's hand, flinging it forward towards the mayor. "This is my girlfriend, Katara." He stopped for a moment as the mayor looked between them. He didn't look suspicious, but he did look…kind of disturbed and confused. "She's my girlfriend," Zuko added.

Oh, Tui and La.

She put on a more friendly smile, offering her hand to the mayor (and getting it out of Zuko's tight grip). "I'm Katara, from the Southern Water Tribe. I'd tell you that I'm Zuko's girlfriend, but I think you've figured that out by now."

"First love," Iroh explained jovially, apparently enjoying the situation. "Don't you wish you were their age again, happily introducing your first girlfriend?"

The mayor relaxed. He even laughed. "Yes, I remember. And, after meeting Zuko several years ago, I'm almost surprised he got a girlfriend at all. So, congratulations, both of you," he said, nodding their direction. He looked to Katara again. "Strange that you would pick someone from the Water Tribe, but I suppose if that works for you." He shrugged. He left them to the innkeeper, who was a middle aged woman, with her graying hair kept in a somewhat lazy top knot. She looked between Katara and Zuko as they asked for rooms.

"Two rooms, then?"

It took a moment for Katara and Zuko to process just what she was suggesting.

"Wha−no!" Katara shouted.

Zuko wasn't any happier. "I'm not sharing my bed with her! What do you take me for?!"

The woman looked apologetic. "I'm sorry, I just assumed…"

"I'm only fourteen," Katara snapped. "I'm not even of marrying age! I'm not…"

"We aren't married," Zuko reiterated. "And it would be dishonorable to do that with a woman before marriage." He glared at the innkeeper, who just raised her hands in a peaceful gesture.

"Alright," she said. "A room for each of you. And I suppose you'll be taking the beds for one person only." She told them where their guesthouse was, and Zuko stomped off, fuming.

"Why did you tell them Zuko and I are…together?" Katara asked when they were out of earshot. They'd caught up with Zuko.

"Well, I needed some reason why you were with us. And since you're clearly Water Tribe, and I didn't want to even pretend that you're our prisoner, I needed a different explanation," Iroh told her.

"Couldn't you have just said 'friend'? Why did you have to say she's my girlfriend?" Zuko nearly shouted. Probably the only thing that kept him from doing so was the possibility of being overheard.

Iroh shrugged, smiling. "It was the first thing I thought of." Katara let out an indignant sound as Zuko breathed fire. Iroh changed topic. "We'll probably be here for a few days at least. Try to enjoy yourselves. Go to the spa, go get some new robes. I'm going to go get a massage. Before long, we'll be back to our usual paths." He looked to Katara momentarily. "I did say I'd have to make tea for you. Might as well do that while we're here, don't you think?"

Katara smiled before she went into her room. "I suppose it couldn't hurt." After all, here she was, staying with them in a colony. She lay down on the bed, taking a breath and letting it out. It was a soft bed, softer than she was used to. After spending almost three weeks sleeping on a raft with nothing but her parka to soften it, the bed was much appreciated. She resituated herself into her preferred sleeping position. It wasn't even dusk yet, but it had been a long, exciting, and exhausting day. _Tomorrow_ , she decided. _I'll go and get some new robes. And detangle my hair. And eat something besides fish. I'll go look at the flowers and have tea with Iroh. Maybe even talk to Zuko, if he's in the mood for talking._

It seemed she'd be sticking around Iroh and Zuko for a little bit longer, after all.

 **End Part 1**

* * *

 **And that's part 1, guys!**

 **And, you know what this means? It means we're onto the new stuff! Tell you what, I'm excited. Hope you guys all like it! I think there's a lot of interesting things coming up in Part 2:**

 *** A LOT more Zutara development**

 *** More Sokka and Aang time. This time, they'll probably be sharing the chapters with Zuko, Katara, and Iroh. No more Zutara droughts, promise!**

 *** Toph! How do you think her inclusion in the Gaang will be without Katara there?**

 *** Azula! Love her or hate her, she'll be in the next part.**

 *** And, finally, one guy who pisses Zuko off on the merit that he pissed Katara off (know who I'm talking about?).**

 **Now...time for Part 2!**


	9. Part 2 Chapter 1: Burned and Banished

**Part 2**

Chapter 1: Burned and Banished

Katara took a deep breath, nearly dunking her head underwater in the tub. Letting it out, she raised her head out of the water again.

It still felt strange, being in a Fire Nation colony. She hadn't forgotten her last experience in one, which had resulted in Aang, Sokka, and her having run away from a group of guards after Aang had revealed himself. It left somewhat on edge, half expecting someone to call out Iroh's bluff, and arrest her (or worse). Thankfully, nothing of the sort had happened. Katara, Zuko, and Iroh had been in the colony for a little more than a day, and it had been nothing but peaceful. They had mostly slept through the first day, worn out from their weeks on the raft. The beds, Katara noted appreciatively, were nice and soft, and even after sleeping for half a day, she still found herself reluctant to get up. Food had been brought to them, courtesy of the mayor. There wasn't any fish, for which Katara was immensely grateful. Weeks on end of fish (frequently under or over-cooked) had left without much appetite for it.

In the morning, Katara woke up, and joined Iroh in going to the colony's spa. He'd told her all out his previous experience there, and while Katara still found the idea of trying to enjoy herself in a Fire Nation colony (under the pretense the she was Zuko's girlfriend!) rather strange, she couldn't deny that three weeks on a raft had left her direly in need of a bath.

And that was what Katara was doing. She stayed in the tub longer than she really needed to, enjoying the pleasant contact with her element. Warm baths were not an overly familiar comfort to Katara. In the South Pole, they'd warm their water mostly so that it wasn't freezing. Along the way to the North, Katara had mostly washed herself in nearby rivers and lakes. And, of course, the North Pole was the _North Pole_. It was a city made of ice, and just like her home, most heating done to the water was to make sure it wasn't cold.

So the warm water provided in the colony was initially something of a shock. Katara had put her foot in, and then immediately pulled it out with a surprised yelp. One of the spa servants came in with a look of concern.

"The water is really hot," Katara told her. Furrowing her brows, the servant came to the bath, and stuck her fingers in.

"It seems to be the normal temperature to me," she told Katara. Katara blinked.

"Really? I guess I don't really have much experience with spas. There isn't exactly an abundance of them in the South Pole."

The woman seemed amused. "Most of our guests like this temperature. Still, if it uncomfortable to you, I'll get a bucket of colder water to cool it a bit."

Slowly putting her feet in to the tub, Katara shook her head. "It's fine. I was just surprised is all."

Nodding, the servant left Katara.

 _I never knew what I was missing,_ Katara decided. After she had gotten over the initial shock of the warm water, it had quickly become a pleasurable experience. The warmth of the water seemed to seep into her skin, relaxing her muscles and mind. She washed herself slowly, enjoying the water's warmth as it slowly faded. It was tempting to lay her head back and take a nap in the tub.

Finally, she finished. Stepping out of the tub, she bent the excess water off of her body, leaving some in her hair, and bent it back into the tub. Grabbing the pink spa robe, she dressed, and exited the bathing room. Wandering around the resort, she found a small shop, where she bought a comb.

Then she went into the task of trying to comb her hair. A dunk into the ocean, and three weeks of little grooming had left it frustratingly tangled, despite her best efforts. She was able to detangle some of her hair, however much of the lower part was tangled into a bunch of tiny knots. Katara groaned, as she began to realize that it was hopeless.

"I'll trim it for you," the shop owner's daughter offered. She'd been curiously watching Katara try to comb her hair for the past twenty minutes. "Sorry, but you've got to know those last few inches aren't salvageable. But I'm fairly handy with a pair of scissors!" Pointing to her own neat hair, she continued, "I do my own hair. And my Dad's, too."

"I usually do my own," Katara noted. "And I haven't got any money."

The girl shrugged. "It's about four inches. I'm not going to ask you for gold to cut off a few tangles."

It took about fifteen minutes, with the girl doing her best to straighten Katara's hair, cut off the tangles, and then making sure that Katara's hair was evenly cut. Receiving a thumbs up, Katara accepted a mirror offered, and tried to see how it looked.

"I tried to maintain what it probably looked like before," the girl told her. "So it should be the same, just a bit shorter. Don't worry, I didn't do anything zany. I only do that to my cousin."

Satisfied, Katara thanked the girl, and left the shop, making her way back to the spa, where Iroh and Zuko still were.

It was a strange, Katara thought. Strange how friendly these people could be. Aside from the initial glances she received, nobody seemed to particularly care about the fact that she was Water Tribe. The fact that Iroh had brought her seemed enough to quell any trouble in this colony. The people were civil, some even friendly, despite the fact that she was from an enemy nation.

Then again, she noted, a large part of that was that they believed her to be Zuko's girlfriend. To these people, she wasn't an enemy.

Once again, she was reminded of the humanity of the Fire Nation.

She hoped the defeat of the Firelord would allow the people of the Fire Nation some peace with the rest of the world.

Sighing, she approached Zuko and Iroh. Zuko, dressed in a pink resort robe, was sitting down, glaring at the floor. He wore a wide hat, casting a shadow over his face. Iroh was sitting down beside Zuko, trying to talk to him. Zuko was quietly taking back to Iroh. Iroh, responded, and optimistic smile on his face, but Zuko frowned, standing up and beginning to walk away from his uncle. Seeing his expression, Katara immediately knew he was in a bad mood. As he walked up to her, he stopped, glaring at her for a moment.

"Is something wrong?" she asked. Practically growling, Zuko clenched his fist, angrily walking past her.

"What do you care? _You don't know anything._ "

The angry words caught Katara off guard. Perhaps they shouldn't have. After all, they had been enemies for the longest time. They used to argue all the time.

But then, they had been civil for some time now. Even…almost friendly.

Now Zuko was acting like it hadn't happened.

 _Well, fine then! He wants to be a jerk? Fine, but he'd better not think I'll just take it!_

"Katara!" Iroh's exclamation, and eager waving interrupted Katara's thoughts of arguing with Zuko.

Iroh seemed cheerful as ever, despite his nephew having walked off. Katara walked over, sitting down near him.

"What's his problem?" she asked.

Iroh's smile fell. "This…isn't a very good day for him. I hope you can excuse his behavior today…"

"What does that _mean_? What's wrong with today that's got him in such a foul mood?"

Iroh looked at Katara for a few long moments, and Katara found herself feeling rather uncomfortable. It was as though the old man was searching within her. After a few tense seconds, Iroh's voice suddenly took on a more cheerful tone again. "I did say I should make you a cup of tea while we're here! This is a good afternoon for a cup of tea, don't you think?"

Katara blinked, shocked at Iroh's total change of subject. Had he ever done that before? But before she could ask again, she saw his expression, and she nodded. "Sure. Let's go have some tea."

* * *

It was hard without Katara.

And it would get harder, Sokka knew. The fact was that Katara had often been the voice of maturity within the group. As much as he wanted to prove himself as a man, Sokka acknowledged that he often tended to fall in with Aang's immaturity. He preferred jokes to discussion, he liked to kid around. He let Katara to the cooking, cleaning, and sewing.

And the pep talks.

It hadn't gone past Sokka's attention that Aang had been having nightmares. He noticed how Aang seemed to be up earlier, how he seemed reluctant to go to sleep, how he had light circles around his eyes. Katara would have known how to address it. As for Sokka, he was a loss. All the comfort and feelings stuff had never been his thing. Frankly, he was still amazed that he'd managed to pull Aang out of the Avatar State after he learned about Katara's death.

They left the Northern Water Tribe's ship to make their way to an Earth Kingdom army base. It was just him and Aang. Sokka still didn't really feel ready.

Master Pakku had given Aang a set of waterbending scrolls, instructing him to practice as much as he could. After Aang hopped onto Appa, Pakku turned to Sokka, telling him to make sure Aang practiced.

"You think he won't?"

Pakku's stare was blank. "He frequently became sidetracked during my lessons. Once, he made a snowman out of himself."

"Good point." Sokka began to turn around, but Pakku's hand caught him.

"From here, we'll make our way south. I'll tell Kana about Katara. I'll let her know that you, however, are well."

Sokka sucked in a breath, and then let it out. "Tell her…tell her I'm sorry about Katara."

The grip on his shoulder tightened for a moment. "I'll tell her you did everything you could. Everything the spirits could ask for, and more."

Sokka gave a slight smile. "Thanks."

"Take care," the old waterbending master said as Sokka climbed onto Appa.

And they were off…

Which brought them to _this_ whole new situation.

It had all started out well enough, with General Fong's somewhat theatrical introductions of them, and the fireworks, and everything.

But then it all took a very different turn.

"Avatar, you're ready to face the Firelord now."

"What?! _No, I'm not!_ " Sokka looked at Aang, whose eyes were wide, with his eyebrow lifting off his face.

Backing Aang up, Sokka looked back to General Fong. "Are you crazy? He has to learn all the elements right? He only knows one and half," he told the general.

But the general shook his head. "He doesn't need to master all of the elements. With the kind of power he possesses, the power to destroy hundreds of battleships in a matter of minutes, he could defeat the Firelord NOW!"

"But sir," Sokka objected. "The thing is, Aang can only do those things when he's in the Avatar State."

"See, it's this special state where-" Aang began to explain.

"I'm well aware," the General interrupted. Sokka found himself frowning a bit. It seemed this general couldn't be talked out of his idea−but was it really a _good_ idea? "Your eyes and tattoos glow, and you're able to summon unbelievable power." General Fong walked over to the map of the world. "Without you, we'd be slaughtered. But with you leading the way, as the ultimate weapon, we'd cut a swath right to the heart of the Fire Nation."

"Right," Aang apprehensively acknowledged. "Maybe, but I don't know how to get in or out of the Avatar State. Much less to do once I'm there…"

"So it's decided then!" General Fong declared, and Sokka officially felt a headache coming on. _We didn't 'decide' anything._ "I'll help you figure out how to get into the Avatar State, and then you'll face your destiny."

"We didn't _decide_ anything!" Sokka vocalized as he and Aang stood up. "Like Aang said, he doesn't even know how to get into the Avatar State, much less control it!" Sokka scowled as he thought of the times Aang had gone glowy. "Why should we follow this plan of yours when we've already got a plan?"

Aang remained silent as General Fong responded.

"Well, while you're busy learning all of the elements, the war goes on." General Fong showed Aang the infirmary, full of wounded soldiers. He launched into an impassioned speech about how people were dying and how Aang could end it now if he used the Avatar State. It wasn't a half-bad speech, Sokka noted. It certainly seemed to have an effect on Aang.

"What do you think?" Aang asked him later. "Do you think I should go with General Fong's plan?"

Sokka's eyes widened. "I…" It was a difficult question. He could see the positives of using the Avatar State. He knew how powerful it was. Aang had taken out an entire fleet of battleships. With the Avatar State, perhaps they really could defeat the Firelord now…bring peace to the world, save countless lives. Aang wouldn't have to stress over learning all the elements in a matter of months, could live his life like past Avatars, learning them over years. Still, Sokka couldn't be blind to the dangers of General Fong's plan. Aang couldn't control the Avatar State. While it had been useful, it had also been dangerous to his friends and allies at times. Sokka remembered the time he nearly blew Katara and himself off the Air Temple. He remembered when Aang had unleashed chaos onto the healing huts, breaking Sokka's wrist.

And then there was the matter of Katara. She was gone, but knowing her like he did, Sokka doubted she'd approve of this plan. And Sokka did want to think of what Katara would do, because they had always needed her voice in their decision making.

"I don't know," Sokka finally told Aang. "I guess you should just do what you think is right."

Later that night, Aang returned to their room, and told him that he agreed to go along with General Fong's plan.

And Sokka was suddenly certain that Katara wouldn't approve of this.

But she wasn't there.

* * *

Iroh poured Katara a cup of tea before pouring his own. The door was closed, and Katara knew this conversation wasn't supposed to leave the room. Seeing Iroh take a sip of tea, Katara drank a little from her cup. Her eyebrows went up.

"Wow. That is good."

Iroh beamed. "Thank you! You know, I've sometimes had the dream of opening a tea shop. It's a very pleasant dream."

Katara smiled. It was easy to picture. "So…were you going to tell me about today?"

Iroh's smile fell, and the man looked uncharacteristically grim. "Please, understand something Katara. This is not something that Zuko likes to talk about. And, in truth, perhaps I shouldn't be telling you this." Iroh sighed. "You have seen the good in Zuko. You know how he saved you, and also tried to save Zhao."

Katara nodded. "We were almost…getting along for a while. Until today."

"Today is a bad day for Zuko. He can't think of anything but what he's lost. And how to get it back." Iroh sighed, shaking his head. He took a sip of his tea, before stunning Katara with his next words. "Three years ago today was the day that Zuko was banished from the Fire Nation."

Katara sat her cup down with a small clunk. " _What?_ Banished? But…does that mean? His own father banished him?" Iroh nodded. Katara stared into the tea cup for a minute, trying to imagine her own father banishing her, banishing Sokka. She tried, and she just couldn't see it. He wouldn't do that. _No decent parent would. And Zuko was only thirteen_ , Katara realized. "What…what did he do to be banished?"

"The right thing," Iroh told her grimly. "Zuko was determined to prove himself. To himself, to the country…to his father. There was a war meeting, and Zuko wanted to attend. He wasn't supposed to be there, but he practically begged me to let him come in. I caved," Iroh said, and for a moment his frown became especially pronounced. "For most of the meeting, Zuko remained silent, as I instructed him to be. But then there was this general, who put forth a strategy…it involved sacrificing hundreds of new recruits. Using them as bait," Iroh said the word rather shortly, his face scrunching for a moment as though he'd eaten something bitter. "For the Earth Kingdom's elite forces. Then, after the new recruits were all slaughtered, a more experiences battalion would take the stronghold. Zuko was horrified by this betrayal of our men, and he shouted at the general." Iroh closed his eyes as he remembered.

Katara shook her head. "He got in trouble for that? But he was right!" She would have done the same thing.

Iroh nodded. "I agree. Unfortunately, given that he wasn't even supposed to be there, his interruption was considered disrespectful."

"They didn't even consider what he had to say?" The Fire Nation had always been the enemy, and yet Katara found herself picturing a bunch of their soldiers unwittingly charging to their doom…as orchestrated by their leaders, who didn't seem to value the lives of their own people. As Iroh shook his head, Katara looked down into her tea.

"So…that's why he was banished? Because he spoke out of turn? That's stupid!" Katara clutched the tea cup tightly. "That wouldn't happen in the Water Tribe. Everyone gets their voice." Frustrated, but unsure what to say, Katara took a sip of tea.

Iroh smiled lightly. "Perhaps someday the Fire Nation will learn from your tribe." His smile fell again. "I'm afraid that that wasn't the end, though. You see, the Firelord, Zuko's father, demanded that he fight an Agni Kai."

"Agni Kai?"

"A fire duel. Zuko believed that he was supposed to fight the general whose plan he had opposed, and accepted the challenge."

" _Believed_ he had to fight the general?" Katara questioned. "So it wasn't the general? Then who?"

Iroh sighed, putting down his tea cup. "The Firelord himself."

Katara could only stare at him for a moment. "The…Firelord. His own father?" Katara frowned as she processed it. "That's insane! Fight his own father? Who in their right minds expects a thirteen year old to fight their own father?"

"When Zuko saw his father, he refused to fight. He got to his hands and knees, and began apologizing….begging forgiveness of his father. He wouldn't so much as raise his fists as Ozai demanded that he fight." It was a horrifying story, but Katara found herself transfixed by it. She could almost see it…Zuko, proud Zuko, all of thirteen years old, on his hand and knees begging forgiveness from a father who clearly didn't love him as a father should.

"So…Zuko was banished for not fighting his father?"

"Ozai called it weakness. He told Zuko that he had lost his honor by refusing to fight, and for that he was banished." Iroh sighed, looking haunted. "He made sure that Zuko would remember that Agni Kai forever. He left a scar that Zuko cannot hide, from others or himself." For a moment Katara failed to understand. When she did, her voice was quiet.

"His father gave him that scar?" It was nightmarish to think about. _Fathers…don't do that._ So many times, Katara had seen that scar, but she'd never really put much thought into how it had happened. To think his own father had done that to him… This was the man that Aang would fight by the end of summer. And he was evil, there was no doubt to be had about it. Katara recalled how she had once wondered how the Firelord could possibly be a good father when he was so cruel to the rest of the world. Now she understood: he couldn't. He was every bit as cruel to his own son.

Katara hoped Aang mopped the floor with Firelord Ozai.

"Firelord Ozai told Zuko that his banishment would be ended if, and only if," Iroh continued. "He captured the Avatar and brought him back to the Fire Nation."

Katara blinked. That certainly explained why Zuko was so obsessed with capturing Aang. But still… "The Avatar hadn't been seen for over ninety years. His father didn't seriously think that Zuko would suddenly find the Avatar, did he?" Iroh was silent, and Katara understood. "Of course he didn't…he was just sending Zuko off on a wild rabbit-goose chase…" It was sick. "Well, I guess now I know why he chased us around the world," she mumbled. "And why he's in such a mood today." Abruptly, Katara stood up. "I'm going for a walk. Thanks for the tea."

She needed to think.

* * *

Katara's walk was slow and leisurely. The cherry blossoms were like clouds of pink around her, and the light wind resulted in petals floating in the air, like pink snowflakes. It was peaceful, unlike the turmoil in her mind.

Time and again, she had been forced to reconsider her opinion on the Fire Nation prince. From dangerous enemy, to hotheaded rescuer, to melancholy ally, to honorable prince, and now, victim of his own father's cruelty. And, once again, Zuko had done the right thing.

Katara sighed as she sat down under one tree. She placed her fingers on her temples, lightly frowning.

She wasn't supposed to get attached to Zuko and Iroh. She'd sworn that weeks ago. And she was so sure it would be easy not to. They were Fire Nation, Zuko was a hothead, she didn't think she'd actually come to care for them by the time they were off of that raft.

But she had.

And, in truth, Katara wasn't entirely sure where to go from here. The plan was to ditch them once they got back to land, and go to Omashu where she could meet up with Aang and Sokka, who certainly thought she was dead by now. And that was still the plan.

But what about Zuko and Iroh? Now that Katara knew why Zuko was after Aang in the first place, she understood that he'd never give up the chase. He wanted to return home, wanted to earn his father's approval, and he believed that that capturing Aang was the only way to do that. He would never give up.

Inevitably, Katara, Sokka, and Aang would clash with Zuko again. And, of course, Iroh would be with him. And Katara had to admit, she wasn't entirely sure how she'd react to that. She was as dedicated to defeating the Firelord as ever, but she knew Iroh and Zuko. Iroh, the tea-loving, wise old man, who could find happiness even in the most dire of circumstances. Iroh the mediator. Iroh who was clearly a better man than his brother. And then there was Zuko. Zuko who rescued an enemy, Zuko who tried to save a man who tried to kill him, Zuko who spoke against the sacrifice of his people, _Zuko who was burned and banished by the Firelord._

The truth was, it was very difficult now to imagine herself fighting them.

But Zuko's quest would bring them into conflict.

Standing up, Katara resisted the urge to punch the tree.

 _Why can't that idiot understand that he didn't lose his honor? It's his father that has no honor!_

It wasn't fair, really. In another life, Zuko wouldn't be cursed to chase Aang around the world in pursuit of a father he didn't need. In another life, Katara was certain Iroh and Aang would be fast friends. What with Aang's friendly and peaceful disposition, and Iroh's easy-going outreach across nations, Katara was certain that the two would easily become friends. Aang had said he'd had friends in the Fire Nation before he was frozen, Katara recalled. She doubted the fact that the Fire Nation was an enemy now would stop him from befriending its people.

Katara sighed as she began walking back to the cabin. It was almost night now, and Katara was feeling tired, stressed from the past three weeks, and the day's revelations. In the morning, Katara decided, she would leave them, and begin making her way to Omashu. Undoubtedly, Zuko would follow her, and before long they'd be back to fighting, as though none of this had ever happened.

Katara was lost in her thoughts until she nearly walked by someone.

"Stop," came the cold order. Katara came back to the world, looking at a young woman from the Fire Nation. The girl looked to be around the same as herself. Her pitch black hair was tied neatly up into a top knot, two even strands of hair hanging down by her face. She was sort of pretty, but there was something about how cold her amber eyes were that Katara found rather unsettling.

"Is something wrong?" Katara asked. She didn't like how this girl was looking at her. She was sizing her up, analyzing.

"Oh, nothing. I'm just curious about what a Water Tribe peasant is doing in a Fire Nation colony." Her eyes narrowed. She wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"Well it's not really your business is it? But since you must know, I'm here with my boyfriend." The lie came easier than Katara thought.

"Your boyfriend?" She didn't believe Katara.

"Prince Zuko. You may have heard of him?" For the first time in their conversation, the other girl seemed to be caught off guard. Her eyes widened slightly, and she almost dropped her jaw. She quickly regained her composure.

"That's certainly interesting. You simply _must_ tell me how that came to be. A banished Fire Nation prince and a Water Tribe peasant?" She was hoping to find a hole in Katara's story.

"I left the South Pole," Katara told her, mixing truth and lie. "It's a small village, surrounded by nothing but ice and snow. It gets boring after a while, so I left to explore the world. Along the way, I crossed paths with a group of pirates. They tried to capture me, but Zuko saved me. I'm sure you can figure out the rest." The girl continued looking her over for a moment, undoubtedly looking for some clue that she was lying. Katara stood her ground. Finally, the girl raised her eyebrows and smirked.

"Here I thought Zuzu would never get a girl. Then again, he always had a thing for inferior beings," the girl said, and Katara found her own jaw dropping. "Well, I hate to break you two lovebirds up, but Zuko's going to be leaving you, and you're never going to see him again. Oh well." The girl walked off, leaving Katara standing there, blushing furiously. It was tempting to go after her, to start a fight. But there was something about her that put Katara on edge, and what did she mean about…?

Katara quickly made it to the cabin, where Iroh stood, looking exasperated. Zuko could be heard in his room, rummaging through the few possessions he'd gotten from the town.

"What's going on?" Katara asked. "There was this girl outside…"

"Azula," Iroh answered her. "Zuko's sister."

Katara blinked. "He has a sister?"

Iroh sighed, pinching his nose. "She came here to say that their father has lifted Zuko's banishment. _Apparently_ , Zuko can return home without the Avatar."

Katara's eyes widened. She had only just been thinking about how much she didn't want to come to conflict with Zuko and Iroh again. If this was true, then Zuko wouldn't be after Aang anymore. She wouldn't have to fight him. Except, perhaps, by the end of summer, when Aang fought the Firelord.

But that girl, Azula…

"You don't believe her?"

Shaking his head, Iroh answered. "Azula…is not like Zuko. She takes after her father. The last time I saw her," Iroh told her quietly. "Was just after the Agni Kai. She was _smiling_. She's never been a reliable source of information, and I don't believe that my brother has ever regretted anything in his life. So no, I do not believe what she said is true." He turned to look out the window.

"So…why did she come here?" Katara asked, looking out the window with him. "If Zuko can't go home, why did she go through the effort of tracking him down to say so? I doubt she'd put so much effort into a prank."

Iroh turned to look at Katara. "I fear that word of our actions may have reached the Firelord," he told her quietly. "If he has heard about my actions at the North Pole, and certain actions of Zuko's, then I fear we may have been declared traitors." Katara thought of how Zuko had once rescued Aang from Zhao. _If his father learned of this_ , Katara realized, _he would have an excuse to go after Iroh and Zuko._

"It's a trap." Iroh nodded. "What are you going to do? You can't let her take you prisoner."

"I'm going to try to talk Zuko out of going," Iroh told her. "I've done my best to protect him for years. I'm not going to lose him now." Katara's shoulders relaxed. She hadn't even realized she'd been so tense. "Go to your room," Iroh told her. "This isn't your fight."

She went to her room, listening as Zuko began trying to pack their possessions. She heard Iroh's voice of reason, trying to convince Zuko that this was trouble.

Finally, she heard Zuko raise his voice.

She knocked her head lightly against the wall.

He was going to walk right into his sister's trap.

* * *

General Fong's attempts to bring on the Avatar State were basically a huge waste of time. They had no success, and Aang found himself increasingly reconsidering the whole idea. Finally, after having a nightmare about the Avatar State, he woke up Sokka.

"I don't think we should be trying to bring on the Avatar State," he confessed.

Half asleep still, Sokka propped himself onto his elbows, looking at Aang. "You sure?" Aang nodded. "Okay." He blinked as he looked at Aang. "Is that what you've been having nightmares about?"

Aang blinked. "You noticed?"

"Yeah. You've been like half asleep for the past few days at least. Is it about the Avatar State, then?"

Aang slowly nodded. "I've been dreaming about the times I've gone into it. There's just so much destruction…and I can't control it. I can hurt people I care about without meaning to." Aang paid a small glance to Sokka's wrist.

"A broken wrist is nothing I can't heal from," Sokka pointed out. "Look, you'll get there, Aang. For now, we'll just tell General Fong no. He can't force you to participate in his plan."

Aang nodded. "Right. Do you think he'll be mad?"

Sokka shrugged lightly. "What can he say? You're the Avatar. Who knows better than you?"

They went back to sleep.

"I'm going with Zuko," Iroh told Katara.

She shook her head. "You can't! You know it's a trap."

Iroh nodded grimly. "Knowing Azula, she brought some of the Fire Nation's best Imperial Firebenders with her. She hope to apprehend both of us…she'd be certain that we wouldn't be able to escape."

"And you're just going to go in there, and let her capture you?" Katara couldn't keep the incredulity out of her voice.

"She's hoping to catch us off guard," Iroh explained. "She came in with her story of how Ozai wants Zuko back. Zuko wants to believe that far too much. And he often trusts Azula when he should not."

"Is there ever a good time to trust her?"

"Not really," Iroh told her.

"So…what do I do?"

"Go. Find your friends, and leave us to deal with this."

Katara shook her head. "I can't! I can't just turn my back when people are in trouble." She paused for a moment. "I'll just hang around town. Upstream. I'll be there if you need me."

* * *

That morning Aang and Sokka went to General Fong to tell him that Aang had changed his mind, that he didn't want to use the Avatar State, and they were ready to leave.

It was all going well, General Fong took it calmly, and Aang seemed very relieved.

Until, of course, General Fong attacked Aang and earthbended him through the walls.

Then Sokka realized that his initial assessment of the general was correct−he was completely out of his mind.

* * *

Katara waited, and waited all morning, and there was no sign of either Zuko or Iroh.

She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

On one hand, it could mean that Iroh was wrong, that Azula was being honest. In that case, Zuko and Iroh were on their way home to the Fire Nation for the first time in three years.

On the other hand, it could mean that Iroh was right, and he and Zuko had been captured, and were now on their way to the Fire Nation as prisoners.

 _The Fire Nation royal family_ , Katara decided, _is beyond crazy._

Finally, Katara got up, ready to leave for Omashu. If she hadn't heard from them by now, then whatever had happened…

Katara heard footsteps, and swiftly turned around. Iroh and Zuko were quickly running up, and Katara met them halfway.

"What happened?" Of course, she supposed she knew what had happened.

"It was a trap," Iroh confirmed. Turning to Zuko, he said, "I believe we're safe here." They were kneeling by the stream. Zuko momentarily glanced to Katara. She could see his shock, perhaps at the fact that she was still here, or perhaps at what had just happened with his sister.

Turning to the stream, Zuko took out a dagger. He took it to the base of his top knot and cut it off. Handing it to Iroh, his uncle did the same. The two Fire Nation Royals dropped their top knots into the stream.

"We are officially on the run," Iroh told her as he stood. "From our own nation." He put his hand on Zuko's shoulder, urging him to stand. "We cannot stay here. We must get moving."

"I have a map," Katara offered. "If you're willing to stay with me any longer, I suppose." She looked at Zuko. He stared blankly. It was like that night on the raft all over again. Only this time, he didn't have much hope. Declared a traitor…

"We should get away from the colonies," he said. "They'll be after us."

She nodded.

As she walked with them, Katara looked to the stream.

It increasingly seemed like destiny had brought her to the Fire Nation royals.

And, it seemed that she would be with them for longer still.

 **And we are officially started on Part 2, guys!**

 **Woo!**

 **So, if you haven't read any of my updated an's then here's my apology for my long absence.**

 **1\. Sorry. School was a big part of it. Fall was my worst semester in college, dropped my GPA considerably. Been doing my best to do better for the past few months.**

 **2\. Part 2 is untitled for now...naming things has never really been my strong point.**

 **3\. More Zutara, slowly developing. Expect more in the next few chapters.**

 **4\. There WILL be Taang. Eventually.**

 **5\. Sukka, too.**

 **6\. So, now Katara knows about Zuko's scar, and how he was banished.**

 **7\. Sorry about the part that are very, very close to the show. I try to avoid having stuff be exactly the same, but there will be some overlap. Probably less and less as we go on.**

 **8\. Pretty please review?**

 **I'll try to have another chapter up soon.**

 **Edit: has anyone else been having trouble with reviews showing up? There've been a couple reviews I've gotten that aren't actually showing up... is this because I deleted a chapter, or is this an issue some of us are having? Thanks in advance for any help with that...**

 **Oh, and also. I'm in a real writing mood, so I'm also reviving an original work of mine over on Fictionpress. Don't panic! I promise, that original work isn't going to overtake this fic. Still, it's been way too long since I've worked on it, and I started talking to someone about it earlier. Got me me in the mood to do some writing on that.**

 **Right now, I'm kinda revising a bit of the older parts of that story. Like what I did here. Still, if you like my writing, please feel free to go check out my original work! It's called The Princes of Mons Montis, and I'll post a link on my author page, if any of you are interested.**


	10. Part 2 Chapter 2:Wilderness and The Wall

Chapter 10: The Wilderness and The Wall

By the time Aang come out of the Avatar State, General Fong's base was a mess. The ground was cracked, with piles of stone dislodged, forming a bumpy floor that could easily trip some who wasn't paying attention. The walls had, thankfully, survived, but they had been pierced by many smaller stones, leaving small cracks that would grow if they weren't fixed. Perhaps the most problematic of the damage were the buildings in the base, many of which had had their roofs and walls damaged by the flying stones. At least one was partially collapsed. Some of the damage had been caused by General Fong's last insane attempt to make Aang go into the Avatar State. Much of the damage was caused by Fong's success.

Aang, upon coming out of the Avatar State, had just sat down, not moving for a few moments, until General Fong came over, clearly more satisfied than the situation merited.

"You're out of your mind," Aang told him, offering a rare glare. The crazy general ignored Aang, continuing to talk about his plan.

Sokka had had enough.

A few moments later, with Fong on the ground, Sokka looked over to Fong's men. "Anybody got a problem with that?" The men quickly shook their heads.

They offered an escort to Omashu, but Aang and Sokka declined, opting to take to the sky with Appa.

Once they were in the air, Sokka turned to Aang while holding Appa's reins.

"So…some morning, huh?" Aang didn't respond, and Sokka looked over. Sighing, he shook his head. "For the record, I always got the impression Fong was sort of nuts. But if I knew he was going to attack us, I'd gotten us out of there before he could try anything…Aang, are you alright? You're being really quiet."

Aang stared blankly for a moment. "I never want to go into the Avatar State again," he told Sokka. Sokka's eyes widened, looking over to the young airbender.

"That's a bit harsh, don't you think? I mean, you're the Avatar. Isn't the Avatar State kinda part of that?"

"But I don't want it!" Aang protested, standing up in Appa's saddle. "I only go into when I'm upset or in danger−neither of which are pleasant. And I cause so much destruction while I'm in it."

"So you'll learn to control it someday," Sokka told him. He shrugged. "I mean, all the other Avatars did, right? So will you."

"How?" Aang asked. "How am I supposed to control it? There's nobody to teach me!" At this, Aang sat back down, putting his head in his hands. "Maybe I'll never figure it out. I sure can't right now…"

"I hate to break to you, Aang, but you're only twelve. I doubt most Avatars have even started their second element by that age, much less the spirit-world-Avatar mumbo jumbo. You'll get there, eventually. And, hey, you came out of the Avatar State on your own this time. That's a start, right?"

Aang frowned. "Not really. I had help," Aang told Sokka. "While I was in the Avatar State, Avatar Roku visited me."

Sokka raised his eyebrows. "But he didn't actually teach you to control it?" At the shake of Aang's head, Sokka frowned. "Of course not. Because why make things easy? Any ways, what did he have to say?"

"He said that if I'm killed in the Avatar state, the Avatar cycle will end completely." Aang's voice was grave.

"So…no more Avatars?" Sokka had to check−it just didn't sound possible.

"No more Avatars," Aang confirmed. He looked down to his hands. "Another reason not to use it. The world needs the Avatar, and if I'm killed during the Avatar State−"

"That's not going to happen," Sokka interrupted fiercely. "Okay, number one, you're basically invincible in the Avatar State. It's practically impossible to get near you while you're in the Avatar State, much less kill you. Do you know about any benders capable of killing you while you're in the Avatar State? I don't!"

"But Sokka," Aang tried to interrupt. Sokka ignored him.

"And number two," Sokka said, a glint in his eye. "Nobody is going to get close enough to you to kill you. I won't let them. I don't care if you're in the Avatar State or not. I'm going to protect you, and I'm going to stay by you."

For a moment, it was silent between the two, the wind being the only sound. They knew they were both thinking the same thing.

Their little family couldn't afford to lose another.

* * *

It felt a little bit like being back on the raft.

After Iroh and Zuko had reached Katara, the three of them escaped into the woods, heading away from the colony. They were technically in Earth Kingdom territory, but they certainly didn't mean they were safe from the Fire Nation yet. At one point, they came across a house with a few lines of clothes drying. It hadn't felt right to steal, but as Zuko had pointed out, their current clothing would only make them stand out to both the Fire Nation, and the Earth Kingdom. Zuko and Iroh both took plain green clothing, basic pants and a tunic. Katara swiped much the same, except that she also grabbed a longer tunic, which went down to just above her ankles. It was similar to what she was used to, except green. Iroh clearly did not approve of the theft, even though was to better hide. The two Fire Nation royals had fixed their hair, Iroh evening out the hair which had been chopped off. Zuko had to cut it more drastically, using the dagger to carefully shave off the hair he'd grown in the middle of his head. Now completely bald, within a few days small shoots of hair began growing all over his head.

It was sort of strange to see Zuko without any hair at all.

Zuko kept the knife hidden, for the most part. But Katara had paid it a few short glances. It was sleek, and the handle was well-formed, but it looked mostly decorative. Katara noticed that there were words engraved on the blade itself, but she never got close enough, or looked long enough, to tell what they were. She didn't dare ask Zuko. Although he hadn't sought out a fight with her, it was still obvious that he didn't want to talk to her. Much like the first few days on the raft, Zuko spent much of the time sulking. On the occasion that he spoke, it was mostly just to his uncle. He was silent towards Katara, but he would sometimes cast a glance to her. His expression as he did so varied. Sometimes he would look rather curious. Other times, his look would be one of frustration. Only once or twice did he seem to be glaring at her. And she couldn't understand those occasions. She didn't think she'd given him any reason to be mad at her. She thought back, but she was sure of it. But then, she supposed that he could be upset that he was still stuck with her. _After all_ , she reflected, _it's not as though he wanted me here to begin with. He's probably just impatient for me to leave._

Which she was still going to. Her concern for Iroh and Zuko had resulted in her staying with them a little while longer, just to make sure they were safe from capture. Still, she missed Sokka and Aang more with every passing day. She would look up into the sky, staring at clouds, and wishing that one of those white puffs would be Appa. She'd dream about them.

She hoped they were okay.

She would just make sure that Zuko and Iroh were safe, and then she'd leave them for Omashu.

"Where are you going to go?" she asked Iroh one morning.

The old man raised an eyebrow, and put his fingers into his beard, rubbing it thoughtfully. "We cannot go to Fire Nation, or the colonies. That much is clear. Sadly, if we are to hide in the Earth Kingdom, we must also hide who we are."

"Do you think you can?" Katara asked. "I mean, I honestly can't picture Zuko living in the Earth Kingdom like any random person. It's just not in his character to give up and hide. Not to mention, you guys wouldn't be able to firebend freely."

Iroh considered her words. "It certainly won't be easy," he admitted. "And knowing Zuko, his frustration with our new situation will only make things harder. But I believe that I can keep him grounded, on the right path."

Katara smiled. "So…does this mean the two of you won't be hunting Aang anymore?" she asked quietly. She certainly hoped so.

"I do not believe it would be wise," he confirmed. Katara breathed a sigh of relief.

This changed everything. When she returned to Aang and Sokka, they would no longer need to worry about being chased by the Fire Nation prince and his uncle. And Katara wouldn't have to worry about fighting the prince she'd grown to respect as a good person. Not even when they go to fight Firelord Ozai−Zuko and Iroh would be out of the way, safe in the Earth Kingdom.

Perhaps they would even denounce their relative, as he had them.

Katara could dream, couldn't she?

"Will you two be safe in an Earth Kingdom village, then?"

"Probably not," Iroh told her, and her heart plummeted. "Azula is undoubtedly in pursuit, even now. A mere village with not be able to withstand her." Katara furrowed her eyebrows.

"So what are you going to do?"

"There is one place that can withstand the Fire Nation. Ba Sing Se. The capital of the Earth Kingdom. Its walls are grand, and nearly impenetrable. Only once, have the walls been pierced. And even then, it was only the outer wall."

"I heard about that," Katara realized. "While we were passing through the Earth Kingdom. This was…what, six years ago?" Iroh nodded, confirming what she'd heard. "I also heard that the Fire Nation was close to breaking the second wall." She frowned. "You don't think the Fire Nation could do so again, do you?"

Iroh raised an eyebrow. "That would require no small amount of planning," he told her. "In the immediate future, at least, I believe Ba Sing Se to be safe."

"So…the old general won't try again?"

"No, I will not be trying again."

It took a moment for Katara to process what Iroh had just said. "It was you?! You were the general that nearly conquered Ba Sing Se?" It didn't seem possible. Iroh was just so friendly, and wise. It didn't possible that he had one besieged the Earth Kingdom's capitol so viciously. _Then again_ , she reminded herself, he is the Firelord's brother. I suppose he can't be entirely spotless.

Noticing Katara's shock, Iroh elaborated. "I was a rather different person back then. I believed that it was my destiny to conquer Ba Sing Se. I intended to fulfill it." Iroh frowned, looking away from Katara. "I besieged Ba Sing Se for six hundred days, my son at my side…"

"Your son?" Katara blinked. "I didn't know you had children."

"Only one," Iroh told her sadly. "I thought that we would win, together, and take the Earth Kingdom capital. With the Earth Kingdom defeated, the rest of the world would follow." A chill went down Katara's spine. It was hard to imagine Iroh, who had spoken of the elements working together, who had mediated between her and Zuko, speaking of how closely he had come to allowing the Fire Nation to totally conquer the world. "After six hundred days, we were closer than anyone else had ever been…and then my son was killed." Katara gasped.

"I'm so sorry," she told him, reaching out and grasping his hand. He offered a small, sad smile, eyes slightly wet. Once again, Katara was reminded of how the war had been harming everyone. She wouldn't wish the loss of a child on anyone.

"Thank you, Katara." He sighed, shaking his head. "After the loss of my son, I…understood things differently," he told her carefully, slowly. "I immediately withdrew all of our troops, and returned to the Fire Nation."

"You could have won," Katara realized. "You still had the numbers, and the strategy. But you chose not to."

Iroh nodded. Katara had never realized just how close they were to losing the war. To think−if Iroh hadn't lost his son, or hadn't been so affected by his loss, he could have taken Ba Sing Se. _The war would have ended by five years ago_ , she realized. _And the Fire Nation's domination would be complete._

"I returned to the Fire Nation," Iroh continued. His eyes now squinted, his eyebrows drawn down. "My son was dead, and I returned home to find that my father had also died."

Katara's jaw dropped. "Your son, and then your father, too? That's awful."

"And Ozai had taken the throne," Iroh added.

"Even though he's the younger brother," Katara said. "I remember, you told me that before." She stopped for a moment. "That…doesn't sound right." She frowned. "So your son dies, your father dies, and then suddenly your younger brother is Firelord?" She raised an eyebrow. "I've got to say, that's _some_ family you've got." Iroh didn't seem to mind the near-insult to his family.

"That isn't even all of it," Iroh told her. She raised an eyebrow.

"Do I want to know?"

He smiled. "That story, I believe, can wait for another time."

He got up, walking around the forest, searching through the bushes. "Zuko hasn't returned yet."

Katara frowned. "You don't think someone's captured him, do you?"

Iroh cast a smile at her. "I trust my nephew's ability to defend himself. No, I don't think he's in trouble. Although, I fear he may not have had any luck in finding us any food."

Katara nodded absentmindedly, following Iroh. She looked down to her feet for a moment. "Do you…have you ever wondered if Ozai stole the throne? I mean, it just sounds kind of weird, with everything that happened. Is it possible that you were supposed to be Firelord, still?"

Iroh paid her a glance, waiting for a few moments to respond to her. "I…prefer not to think about it, to be honest," he told her. "When I came back to the Fire Nation, I had no will to challenge Ozai for the throne. I was too broken by the loss of my son, and my father right after that. It shook my faith in everything I believed in. And I left the Fire Nation, on a spiritual journey. I found a new purpose in life. A new understanding of the world. And when I returned to the Fire Nation, I knew it was never my destiny to become Firelord."

Katara blinked. "Oh…" She didn't completely understand what he meant, and it would be weeks before she would begin to understand what Iroh was truly telling her. Still, she understood clearly that Iroh had no desire to be Firelord. _Who will be Firelord after Ozai is defeated?_ She wondered. _Zuko is nowhere close to ready to lead a country to peace, and Azula seems to be exactly the same as her father._

She was pulled from her thoughts by a loud gasp from Iroh. She turned to see him walking over to a large flower in a clearing. "What?"

Iroh walked closer to the bushy plant, eyeing it critically. He kneeled down, looking all over it. "This appears to be a White Dragon Bush," he said, a smile forming, a twinkle in his eye.

"Okay…so?" It was a nice flower, Katara noted.

"It makes for an absolutely wonderful tea," he informed her. She raised her eyebrows.

"That's great, but don't you think we should be looking for actual food?"

He looked over to her, waving her off. "I believe there's a stream somewhere in that direction. Perhaps you could go catch some fish?"

Katara nodded. "Of course." She began walking away, then hesitated for a moment, looking back. "You know, I don't know anything about tea plants," she admitted. "But I really think we should be careful with plants we find in the wilderness. I wouldn't recommend making tea out of strange plants."

Iroh nodded, not looking away from the plant. "Don't worry, Katara. I know what I'm doing." She slowly turned and walked away. _I'm sure Iroh knows what he's doing−surely, he's more experienced than Zuko?_

With Katara gone, Iroh took to sniffing the plant.

* * *

Katara was by the stream, pulling fish from the water with her bending, when footsteps startled her. Standing up quickly, Katara brought out some water from the stream, ready to fight…

Zuko emerged from the tress, arms crossed, eyes glaring. In one of his hands was a long stick that was almost a spear. Despite his clear irritation, the Fire prince made no move, and Katara put the water back into the stream.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him.

"Fishing," he stated bluntly. She raised an eyebrow as the prince came to stand beside her, peering into the water, occasionally trying to stab into it with his makeshift spear. Katara stood by for a while, watching as he tried and failed to catch a fish. He scowled and growled as he became frustrated, and finally threw the spear on the ground. He turned around, pacing a few steps, and let out a bit of fire from his mouth. Finally, he noticed Katara.

"What do you want?" he shouted. "Are you just here to watch me make a fool of myself? Is that why you stayed? I suppose you just wanted to see me humiliated? I bet you think this is real funny," he accused. Katara frowned at him, crossing her arms, but he continued. "Well, fine! Enjoy it. Just go ahead, and laugh. Prince Zuko, the banished prince who can't even catch a fish…" He shook his head, and sat down beside the stream, sulking. He put his head in his hands, muttering. Katara couldn't fully understand what he was saying, but she knew she heard "failure" in there.

 _It's all too much for him_ , she realized. _The anniversary of the banishment, being named a traitor, the raft, this…_ Katara took a deep breath, unfolding her arms, taking a few steps towards Zuko, and sitting down by him. "Zuko, I'm not laughing at you. I swear it. And no, I don't want to see you humiliated."

"Then why are you here?" He looked to her, golden eyes confused. "Why are you still with us?"

"Why stay?" she asked. She shrugged. "Because I care. About you. About Iroh. I couldn't just leave the two of you…so I'm staying. For now anyways." Zuko's eyes widened.

"You…care? About me?" He sounded incredulous.

"We've been through a lot in the past few weeks," Katara admitted. "I couldn't just leave you and Iroh to your crazy sister."

Zuko frowned, looking over to the stream. "And I suppose you knew it was a trap? Uncle did, too." Suddenly, he stood up again, pacing. "Why am I so _stupid_? I know Azula always lies. Why did I fall for it?"

Katara frowned as she stood up. "It wasn't your fault. And quit calling yourself stupid. Your sister is manipulative, and she knows you. She offered what you wanted, and you took it."

Zuko swerved back to look at her, eyes narrowing. "What do you know?" he demanded. He took a few angry steps towards her.

She met his eyes, standing her ground. "Your uncle told me about your banishment." Zuko's eyes widened.

"How much did he tell you?"

"Enough. Look, I can't imagine being unable to return home," she told him. "And I imagine if were, and someone came and told me that I could return home, I would throw caution to the wind, too. I'd have fallen for it, too. Does that make me stupid?"

Zuko scowled, once again sitting by the stream. He didn't say anything for a long time. Finally, when he did, his voice was bitter.

"You remind me of her."

Katara blinked. "What?"

"You remind me of Azula."

Katara's eyes widened, then quickly narrowed. "Excuse me?! Just what have I done to remind you of your crazy sister?" Katara was offended. Zuko's sister was cold blooded in a way that disturbed Katara. She did not appreciate the comparison.

"You're like her," Zuko explained, glaring at her. He stood up, once again, glaring into her from his taller height. "She's…perfect. At everything. At planning, with people…and she's far better than me at firebending." He brought a hand to his head, running his fingers of the small hairs that were growing. "I don't understand how she does it. She sees a move, and has it mastered in a day. It's not fair! She just does it, like it somehow just comes to her. She's a firebending master, and she's two years younger than me! I've been practicing for years, and I've only recently gotten past the basics!" Katara listened to his tirade, feeling less angry as he explained. She understood where this was going… "I remember you back at the South Pole. You couldn't even freeze the right people. I remember how you stole a waterbending scroll from a group of pirates, just to learn something. And now? You're nearly a master. Weeks," he hissed. "Less than a year of training, and you go from being clueless, to being able to best me in a fight. You're just like her," he accused. "It just comes to you…and I can't compete? Why can't I do it?"

Katara waited for a few moments as Zuko let it all out.

"I think I know where you're coming from," she offered.

"No, you don't!"

Katara looked down to her boots. "When I stole that scroll, a lot of it had to do with me being outdone by Aang," she admitted. "I was trying to teach him some basic waterbending, stuff I taught myself over the years. It took me forever to learn this basic stuff. Aang had it all figured out in moments. I drove me nuts."

Zuko looked to Katara, now paying attention. "Well obviously you still figured it out pretty quickly.

"Perhaps I did," she agreed. "I did learn pretty fast once I had an actual master. And I think a lot of it had to do with training beside Aang. But I do know what you're going through."

Zuko was quiet. He shook his head. "I just don't understand why I can't get past my basic firebending," he told her.

"Have you been practicing?"

He shot a quick glare. "Of course, I've been practicing. Every day, hours on end, for nearly my whole life. But I practice for hours and hours, and it all feels like a huge dead end."

Katara frowned. "A dead end? What do you mean?"

"I practice my basics," he explained. "And I practice my breathing exercises. I call on my fire…and it's like there's this wall. A big, impenetrable wall, that stops me from advancing. That stops me from being able to rise to my potential." He shook his head. "Uncle Iroh believes that I can be a powerful bender. I want to fulfill my potential, but I can't."

"Because of this 'wall'?" Katara verified.

Zuko nodded. "I don't understand what it is, but it's like I just _can't_ go any further than I have." He sat down, once again, grabbing his spear, and glaring at it. "I'll never be a master firebender."

Katara stared at him for a few moments, trying to understand what he'd just told her. She tried to imagine it. An invisible barrier preventing her from learning waterbending. She tried to imagine training with Pakku for years, unable to advance beyond the basics. It would be horribly frustrating. She sat down next to Zuko. "I've never heard of anything like that," she told him. She frowned. "It must be beyond frustrating."

Zuko let out a stressed breath. "You have no idea."

"Have you talked to your uncle about this?" Katara asked. "Maybe he'll know something about this issue."

Zuko shook his head. "No." He looked over to Katara. "Don't you dare tell him!"

"But maybe he can help," Katara insisted.

But Zuko was adamant. "The last thing I need to humiliate myself in front of him. And this is humiliating. Who has ever heard of a Fire Nation _prince_ with such a problem?"

Katara stared at him for a moment. A far better person than I used to think he was, she acknowledged. But not even a little bit less stubborn.

"Fine," she grudgingly agreed. "But I hope you reconsider." She touched his spear, running her fingers over the wood.

"Another thing I'm a failure at," Zuko said, glaring at the spear.

"Now you're being completely unreasonable. You've never fished before; you're not going to be an instant expert."

"Do you know how to fish?" he suddenly asked her. She pointed to the two fish she had caught before he'd arrived. "I meant without bending."

She nodded. "Do you…want me to teach you?"

She tried to imagine someone telling her, one day before the raft, that she would someday spend an hour teaching _Prince Zuko_ how to fish.

She'd never have believed them.

* * *

Zuko was an even worse fisherman than he was a cook, but Katara wasn't about to tell him that.

She was still somewhat it shock by what he'd confided to her−and that he wouldn't tell his own uncle. She would have figured he'd share his woes with his friendly uncle, rather than her. Just weeks ago they were enemies. Now, they were…

Katara wasn't entirely sure what they were.

Still, she saw now more than ever just how self-critical Zuko could be. Growing up with Azula and Ozai couldn't have helped in that. It was amazing how somebody as arrogant as Zuko could have such a side to him.

Then again, she supposed, Zuko frequently seemed to be the opposite side to his own coin. The Fire Nation prince was full of contradictions.

The two of them didn't talk on their way back to Iroh. They were silent, again, but this silence wasn't like the one they'd been having for the past several days. It was far more amiable.

Finally, carrying three fish between them, they stepped into the clearing where Iroh was waiting for them. He was still where he'd found that bush.

"Ah, Katara, Zuko," came Iroh's voice, without him turning around. "Remember that plant I thought might be tea?" Katara narrowed his eyes. _He didn't…?!_

"You didn't?!" Zuko said, mirroring Katara's thoughts.

"I did!" He turned around, revealing a large swollen rash over his face. "And it wasn't!"

Zuko let out a gasp, dropping the fish, and taking a step back. Katara swatted her forehead with her hand, shaking her head. "I _told_ you not to mess around with plants in the wilderness! What were you _thinking_?"

"My apologies, Katara. In the future, I'll be more careful," he assured her. He turned back to Zuko. "When the rash spreads to my throat, I will stop breathing." Katara's heart dropped, as horror set in. _He poisoned himself._ She shook her head. _He can't die like this!_ "But look what I found!" Iroh proclaimed, pulling out a branch full of red berries from behind his back. Katara's jaw dropped. _Right after…he MUST be joking!_ "These are bacui berries, known to cure the poison of the white jade plant!" He smiled for a moment, and then it fell as the old man reconsidered. "That, or make'ole berries, that cause blindness."

"What?!" Katara could only stare as Iroh held another plant, which could poison him even more.

Thankfully, Zuko was ready to react. The prince quickly grabbed the branch out of his uncle's hands, yanking it out, as he ranted. "We're NOT taking any more chances with these plants!" _Thank the spirits someone has some sense._ Katara blinked. _Never thought I'd be thinking that about Zuko._ "We need to get help," Zuko admitted.

"But where are we going to go?" Iroh questioned as he scratched his rash. "We're enemies of the Earth Kingdom, and fugitives of the Fire Nation."

"I vote Earth Kingdom," Katara said, putting her hands on her hips and she stared at the two royals.

Zuko looked her direction. "It's not so simple. If the Earth Kingdom discovers us, they'll have us killed." He had his fingers on his chin, forming a thoughtful expression.

"But if the Fire Nation discovers us," Iroh pointed out. "We'll be turned over to _Azula_." The two firebenders nodded simultaneously.

"Earth Kingdom it is," Zuko agreed.

The three of them began walking towards the nearest Earth Kingdom village they knew of. They had passed it earlier in the day. It was close, thankfully. Hopefully, somebody would be able to help Iroh. As they walked, Katara came up to Zuko, walking beside him.

"Here I thought Iroh was supposed to be the wise one," she said quietly. It was slightly humorous, but it held an edge of tension. She really was worried about him. "I told him not to do anything with that plant."

Zuko snorted. "He thought it was tea." He shook his head. "I'm telling you, his obsession with tea is dangerous."

She looked back to Iroh, who was walking just behind them. His rash was red, and he was still scratching. She shook her head as she turned back. "Can't argue there."

The silence between the three as they walked was companionable, and there was little awkwardness about it. It felt little different that walking with Aang and Sokka.

Katara paid little notice to how closely she and Zuko were walking, how the two of their hands would nearly brush against each other. She certainly didn't notice the appraising looks that Iroh would give them, nor the slightly pleased smile that he gave them.

 **Yay, I've got another chapter for you! Less than a week after the last one, too. Hopefully this one is still good, despite how little time it took.**

 **Few things:**

 **1\. Zuko's 'wall'. Obviously, this is something that hasn't really been discussed in canon. But, please, hear my reasoning on this. Zuko was sixteen at the start of the series. He was never exactly cut off from training access. He'd have been training since he was young, and he continued training to when we meet him.**

 **But somehow, he didn't even get past the basics until he was sixteen?**

 **Now, I get that it usually takes 'years' to master an element, but it had been years. You'd think Zuko would have gotten at least a little bit further along than he was.**

 **Sure, Azula was a prodigy. Everything came easy to her. That's part of her character (and part of what led to her epic breakdown). Still, the disparity between her and Zuko was a bit huge.**

 **So, what is this 'wall' I put in here?**

 **To be quite frank, it's how Zuko is bending. Using the anger and frustration. What he, and the rest of the FN is being taught.**

 **Except Zuko's no good with that. Certainly not when he was a child. And still not as a teenager. He lacks ruthlessness. He's still merciful, and compassionate. So even when he does have anger to fuel his firebending...his ultimately good nature prevents him from fully accessing his power as a firebender.**

 **It's worth noting that once Zuko began drawing his fire from a different source, he quickly became a far better firebender.**

 **So, it seems likely that a lot of his early failings as a firebender was because he just couldn't 'connect' through the firebending method that he knew.**

 **Which must be beyond frustrating.**

 **:P**

 **2\. And Zutara is slowly developing. Yay! They certainly got closer this chapter.**

 **3\. And I'm sorry to any of you that don't like the Aang and Sokka chapters. They will be continuing. Hopefully, the Taang and Sukka will eventually redeem those chapters. If not...sorry.**

 **Pure romance has never exactly been my thing. Plus, I'll admit, I'm enjoying exploring the bond between Aang and Sokka. I think it's one that's frequently ignored, and this fic, having left the two alone (until Toph joins up), leaves them to grow closer than in canon.**

 **WHEW that was a huge note.**

 **Till next time, guys!**


	11. Part 2 Chapter 3: Moment You Trust Them

Chapter 11: The Moment You Trust Them

Thankfully, they reached the Earth Kingdom village quickly, and without encountering any additional problems. Katara and Zuko kept glancing at Iroh, checking on his rash. He'd said he'd stop breathing when the rash reached his throat, but how long would that take?

It ultimately didn't matter. As much as Iroh scratched his rash, it hadn't seemed to do anything more than itch by the time they reached the village. There, they quickly found help.

"You three must not be from around here," the young woman treating Iroh said. "We know better than to touch the White Jade, much less make it into tea, and drink it." The girl was confident in her skill, calmly doing her work. She had a slight laugh in her voice as she spoke of Iroh's blunder. Iroh himself seemed to find it pretty funny, adding his own chuckle.

"Whoops."

Katara, who was sitting beside Zuko, could only shake her head. This was actually the sort of situation she could see Aang and Sokka getting into.

"So where are you travelling from?"

"Yes, we're travelers!" Zuko blurted, standing up. Katara's eyes closed as she remembered his awkward attempt to introduce her as his girlfriend. _Zuko is the worst liar I've ever seen…here we go again._

"Do you have names?"

"Names?" Zuko echoed nervously. "Of course we have names! I'm…Lee! And this is my uncle…uh, Mushi!" He turned to motion to Katara, who quickly stood up to introduce herself.

"My name is Katara," she said before Zuko could say anything. _I don't even want to know what he'd think of for me._ Iroh had already been leaning over to give Zuko an incredulous stare. _Mushi…what sort of name is that?_

"My nephew was named after his father," Iroh began saying, a teasing smile on his face. "So we just call him Junior!"

Katara quickly put her hands on her mouth, trying to disguise her laugh as a cough. Zuko glared at her before the girl turned to look at them.

"My name is Song. You three look like you could use a good meal. Why don't you stay for dinner?" Katara brightened a little at that.

"I'd love to," she told her, looking over to Iroh and Zuko. It had been too long since she'd been able to sit down and talk with a girl her own age. And Song seemed like a very nice girl.

Zuko seemed to disagree. "Sorry, but we need to be moving on." Katara turned to glare at him, but before she could say anything, Song had responded.

"That's too bad. My mom always makes too much roast duck." Song was shrugging, while wearing a large bright smile.

Zuko wasn't won over.

Iroh, however, was. "Where do you live, exactly?"

Zuko let out a frustrated groan, walking off. Song looked over as he left, looking disappointed. Katara raised her eyebrow. After Song finished apply the treatment to Iroh, she told them where she and her mother lived. Iroh then left to find Zuko, leaving Katara alone with Song.

"Thank you," Katara told her, offering a smile. "After Ir-Mushi drank that stupid tea, Lee and I were really worried. Thank you for helping us."

"It's my pleasure, really. I'm happy to do my part. Though, I do hope Mushi has learned his lesson from this."

Katara snorted, shaking her head. "After he drank that tea, he found some berries that he though may cure it."

"Bacui berries?"

Katara nodded. "But he thought it could also be some other plant that causes blindness."

Song's face lit up in recognition. "What color were they?"

"Red."

"Wrong plant." Her face turned to horror. "He didn't eat those, too, did he? If he did, he needs treatment right away!"

Katara shook her head. "Lee took the plant and threw it away. That was when we decided we needed to get help."

Song let out a breath of relief. "Good." A small blush appeared on Song's cheeks. "I'm glad Lee was quick to get rid of that plant."

Katara looked over at Song for a few moments. _Oh spirits, is she…does she have a crush on Zuko?_ "Yeah," Katara said lamely.

"So…how do you know Mushi and Lee? You don't look to be related."

"We're not," Katara quickly denied. "We just…met a while back, and circumstances led to us travelling together. We're friends."

"Oh. So…are you and Lee…"

"No!" Katara practically shouted, and then blushed. "I mean, we're not…he and I…we're NOT together. Like that. I mean I like him, but I don't like him like that, and I don't really like him _that much_ anyways…" Katara's blush turned deeper red. She raised her fingers to the bridge of her nose. "We're just friends. If you want him, be my guest!" The silence was sort of awkward after that. "So…I'll see you later, then."

Song smiled. "I'll see you at dinner."

She really was a nice girl.

Katara hoped she wasn't setting herself up for too much of a heartbreak.

* * *

Hours later, at night, Katara sat with Iroh, Zuko and Song as her mother brought food to the table. Song's gaze frequently fell over to Zuko. Katara had been in favor of having dinner with Song initially−but now that she thought about it, it was certain to be awkward. What with Song having a crush on _Zuko_ , and then lying about who they were.

"My daughter tells me you are refugees. We were once refugees ourselves," the woman told them as she sat down. She was a smiling woman, graying brown hair kept back in a bun. It was easy to see where Song got her sweet attitude.

"When I was a little girl, the Fire Nation raided our farming village," Song explained. Katara balled her fist. It was a familiar story. So many people had been terrorized by the Fire Nation… "All the men were taken away. That was the last time I saw my father."

Katara stared sadly at the table.

It seemed she wasn't the only one who sympathized.

"I haven't seen my father in many years," Zuko said quietly. Katara frowned. _Your father is the reason Song and I don't have ours._

"Oh," Song said, completely unaware who she was talking to. "Is he fighting in the war?"

It was silent for a moment, except for Iroh slurping a mouthful of noodles.

"Yeah," Zuko said simply.

"My father is, too," Katara added. She, at least, didn't have to lie or hide half of the truth. "My father is from the Southern Water Tribe. They've been helping the Earth Kingdom for the past two years." If Katara was entirely honest with herself, she did resent her father a little bit for leaving her and Sokka. It was necessary, she knew, and she was proud of him, but she and Sokka still needed their father.

"I've heard about them," Song's mother said, smiling in Katara's direction. "From what I heard, their numbers are few, but they've still been an enormous help in protecting the coast."

Katara nodded. "That's right. The Water Tribes are the best seamen in the world. Our ships are the best, and they don't pollute the sky with black smoke and soot. The men of my tribe could take on a ship twice the size of their own with ease," she said. It was nice to boast every once and a while−especially with Zuko right next to her, struggling to refrain from retaliating. After all, 'Lee' wouldn't exactly be going on about the superiority of the Fire Nation, would he?

With the conversation having quickly turned to the war and the Water Tribe, Zuko mostly just picked at his food, taking only a few bites. He was silent as the others spoke, before he finally stood up and walked out.

Zuko sat outside, quiet. Inside his mind, however, his thoughts were in a flurry. Thoughts of Song, the gentle girl who helped his uncle and gave them food, thoughts of the war, thoughts of the Fire Nation, everything he'd been taught, thoughts of children losing their fathers, in the Fire Nation, in the Earth Kingdom, in the Water Tribe, thoughts of Katara who was still there with them…

Footsteps drew Zuko out of his thoughts, and he turned to see Song sitting down beside him, offering a kind smile.

By the end of the conversation, Zuko was more lost than ever.

Later that night, Iroh, Zuko, and Katara were prepared to leave. The stood outside, expressing gratitude and saying their goodbyes.

Iroh and Katara both thanked Song's mother for the food, and she handed Iroh a small pack of supplies for their journey.

Zuko, not saying a word, turned to leave. "Junior," Iroh called out. "Where are your manners? You need to thank these nice people."

Zuko turned around quickly, bowing only a little, and quietly and shortly said, "Thank you." Then, he turned around again. Katara frowned at him. She knew he frequently had a bad attitude at times, but this was new.

"I know you don't think there's any hope left in the world," Song cut in. "But there is hope! The Avatar has returned." Katara winced, glancing at Zuko. _I'm sorry, Song. You seem like such a lovely person, but Zuko is not who you think he is. And that comment was not helpful._

Katara hoped Song found somebody more appropriate someday.

"I know," Zuko growled out, walking off.

Katara sighed, looking over to Song. "Avatar Aang will put things right," she agreed with the Earth Kingdom girl. "Lee just…doesn't exactly believe that." _He is, after all, the son the Firelord._

Even if Ozai hadn't earned Zuko's love and loyalty, it seemed the cruel man had it anyways.

Song and her mother turned and walked back into their home, and Katara walked quickly to catch up to Zuko and Iroh. Zuko had stopped, looking to the ostrich-horse owned by Song and her mother. He walked over, pulling its reins.

"What are you doing?" Iroh asked. Katara could hear the disappointment in his voice. Zuko got onto the ostrich-horse, walking it over to Iroh. "These people just showed you great kindness!"

"They're about to show us a little more kindness," Zuko told him. Katara put her hand on her hips.

"So you're just going to steal their ostrich-horse? I don't believe you!"

Zuko's nose flared as he grew angry. "You're one to talk−or have you forgotten about how you stole a waterbending scroll?"

Katara's face turned red. "That was-that was different! Those were pirates, and some noble in the Earth Kingdom had no use for a waterbending scroll anyways!" Katara threw her hand toward Song's home, raising her voice even more. "These people have been nothing but kind to us! They saved your uncle's life! They gave you food, and supplies! And now you're just going to turn around and steal from them?!"

"We need to be able to move fast," he told her, grinding his teeth. "Why can't you accept that we need to do this?"

"Why can't you accept that you are way out of line? Why can't you just trust that things will turn out alright?" The two of them were now glaring at each other. Katara could feel the moon in the sky, strengthening her bending. For the first time in weeks, she felt prepared to fight Zuko.

She had no doubt he felt ready to fight her.

"Because I'm not an idiot," he snapped at her.

"Enough!" Iroh quickly put an end to the fight. Shaking his head, he turned to his nephew. He sighed. "If you cannot be dissuaded, then I suppose this is how it will be."

"You're just going to let him do this?" Katara questioned incredulously. Iroh typically had more sense that Zuko. As the old man climbed onto the ostrich-horse, however, Katara couldn't help but think she understood. She crossed her arms, looking away.

The two royals didn't leave, and after a moment, Zuko spoke again. "Are you coming with us?" His voice didn't have as much anger in it now.

Katara glared back. "I doubt I could fit up there. And I still want no part in this anyways."

Zuko scowled back at her, directing the horse to turn. "Fine! I didn't want to be stuck with you anyways."

"Good riddance, then!" she snapped. "I've spent more than enough time for a lifetime with you as it is!"

The two glared at each other, gold eyes piercing blue. Neither backed down, trying to enforce their will on the other, trying to make them _understand_. Finally, the two looked away.

"Will you be alright, Katara?" Iroh's voice was calm and soft. He handed her one of their packages of supplies.

"I'll be fine," she assured him. "Don't let your idiot of a nephew get you into any more trouble."

He laughed as Zuko grumbled. "Don't worry, Katara. We'll be safe. Take care of yourself−and good luck on finding your friends."

She nodded curtly, still refusing to look at them. She heard the sound of the ostrich-horse running off. By the time Katara looked up, they were just a speck in the distance.

She sighed. She really shouldn't have been so surprised by this. And she definitely shouldn't have been so surprised by Zuko. After all, when had Prince Hothead ever really shown any decent manners? The truth was that she had gotten entirely too comfortable with them. She'd never intended to stay with them. She needed to get to Omashu, to reunite with Aang and Sokka.

"I never wanted to be stuck with those two in the first place," she muttered.

"Why were you with them, then?" the question was quiet and curious. Katara turned around to see Song standing a few feet away. Katara's heart sunk as she saw Song's sad expression.

 _Zuko, you idiot._

Katara shook her head. "It's a long story."

"Well your friends just stole my family's ostrich-horse. You're still here. Don't I at least get a few answers?"

"I suppose you do. Look, Song, I swear I didn't know Z-Lee was going to do that. And when he did, I tried to talk him out of it."

Song nodded. "I know. I saw."

Katara blinked. "You were watching us the whole time?" Song nodded. "But you didn't even attempt to stop them yourself?"

Song shrugged, looking to the ground. "Well, obviously I'm not happy that they took our ostrich-horse. They aren't exactly inexpensive, so it won't be easy to replace. Still, I know a person on the run when I see one, and I suppose, if they needed our ostrich-horse, at least it going to good use."

Katara blinked, shaking her head. "Wow. I mean…you don't even know them. How are you not upset?"

"I am upset," Song told her. "I'm just not going to let it bother me for a long time." She looked down, a blush creeping to her cheeks. "I sort of liked him. Lee, I mean."

"I noticed. I don't think it really says anything good about your taste in boys."

"I suppose that's why you didn't want him?" Katara blushed. "So…how did you actually end up travelling with them?"

"They saved my life a little over a month ago," Katara told her. "I've been travelling with them ever since." She shrugged. "I didn't really intend on staying with them anyways. It's probably for the best that they're gone now."

Song's eyes showed concern. "Where are you going to go now?"

"Omashu," Katara said. "I got separated from my friends before Mushi and Lee saved me. Omashu is where my friends planned on going."

"That's a bit of a journey from here," Song said. She frowned. "Still, there's a fairly decent road leading there, going through plenty of towns along the way." She looked over to Katara, smiling. "It's probably the best way to get to Omashu from here. I know a travelling merchant−he'd be willing to give you a lift in his wagon. I think he departs tomorrow, so if we go to him…"

"That's not necessary," Katara quickly said. "You've already done so much, and what with the ostrich-horse…"

"Jing owes me a favor," Song explained. "I saved his daughter's life last year after she got a little too curious about a flower." She smiled. "He's not particularly wealthy, but he did promise me a favor if I ever needed anything. I haven't, but maybe he could lend you a ride for me?"

Katara's eyes watered as she surprised the girl with a hug. "Thank you so much," she said, backing away. "I know you have no reason at all to help, especially after what Lee and Mushi did." She frowned. "I promise, I'll pay you back for all of your kindness someday."

* * *

Katara slept outside Song's home, with a pillow and blanket provided by Song. Her sleep was nearly nonexistent, as she dreaded telling the kind old woman about what Zuko and Iroh had done. Thanks a ton, Zuko, for leaving me to apologize for YOUR actions! She felt like kicking herself; how could she let herself get so attached to Prince Jerk? To think, she'd actually begun to trust him, to care for him, to think of him as a…

As a friend.

Dawn came, and Katara dutifully got up. She went into Song's house, and prepared breakfast for her and her mother−after everything, that was the least she could do. Song's mother's reaction was much like Katara thought it would be. The woman's eyes widening in shock as Katara explained and apologized. She sat down as Song held her hand, and helped Katara explain, backing Katara up when she told Song's mother that she had tried to talk 'Lee' out of it. The lady didn't seem angry, just very exhausted and sad.

"It won't be easy to replace the ostrich-horse," she said. Then she sighed. "But if we save our funds, we should be able to afford one quickly enough."

"I'll come back," Katara swore. "After I find my friends and we do what we have to, I promise I'll come back and help pay off the ostrich-horse."

"Considering that you came with the ones who took the ostrich-horse, it must seem pretty silly that I actually believe you," Song's mother said. "But then, you wanted no part in the theft, so I suppose there's no reason to hold it against you. In fact," she added. "If there's anybody who should be paying us off, it's them!"

"That's true," Katara agreed. "But I doubt Lee sees that. Mushi may agree. Still, I doubt they'd want to come back here. And I'm not going to hunt them down to make them pay you. All things considered, I don't particularly care to see them again." She gave a small smile. "I'll pay you back, someday."

Song's mother was far too kind in seeing Katara off again. Song herself led Katara to the merchant, Jing, a cheerful man who quickly agreed to take Katara to the next town over, only asking that she help load the wagon.

By noon, Katara waved goodbye to Song.

Watching trees go by, Katara smiled. For all the bitterness between her and Zuko in their last conversation, for all that she had gotten to know the Fire Nation royals, for all that she would, admittedly, miss Iroh, Katara couldn't help but feel just a little bit of excitement. After they reached the next town, there was a road which would lead her towards Omashu. Towards Aang and her brother.

She was _finally_ returning to where she belonged.

* * *

Trees passed by swiftly on the ostrich-horse, taking Zuko and Iroh further and further away from Song's home, from her village, from Katara.

Zuko scowled as he thought of her again. The waterbender. The Water Tribe peasant. The girl who gave him and Iroh water and fish. The girl who blasted him off the raft. The girl he argued with.

The girl he'd shown his weakness to. The girl who seemed to understand.

Katara.

"I'm glad she's gone," he suddenly vocalized. Behind him, Iroh raised an eyebrow. Zuko, of course, didn't see.

"I rather enjoyed her company," Iroh told him. "And it seemed to me that you two were getting along quite well just yesterday." He couldn't keep the disappointment out of his voice.

"I, no, no we…we were just both worried…about you. That's all." Zuko frowned. That wasn't true.

 _"Because I care. About you. About Iroh."_

Ever since his mother had disappeared, Zuko had known fewer and fewer people who claimed to care about him. Even fewer actually did.

"I hope that she won't be in trouble," Iroh continued. "She was left behind, but she was travelling with us. What if she is held accountable for your crime?"

Zuko grit his teeth, recalling the glare she had given him. She may be waterbender, but in that moment she had had pure fire in her eyes. "I asked her to get on. She refused. What happens next is her own fault."

That was what he was trying to convince himself, anyways.

Because, despite their argument, he knew that he had had…something with her. And understanding. And he had grown used to her presence.

Even after their argument, he had momentarily hoped that she would come with them.

"She doesn't belong with us anyways," he told Uncle Iroh. "She's not like us. She's a waterbender, and a friend of the Avatar's." He narrowed his eyes. "It was never going to last. It wasn't supposed to last this long to begin with."

They continued along through the forest. Iroh sighed, shaking his head.

He loved his nephew dearly. He loved him as he had loved his own son−and he truly thought of Zuko as his own. Ozai, after all, was hardly ever a father to Zuko. Still, there were times when Zuko truly did push at Iroh's patience. Stealing from people who had shown them kindness, and then leaving behind a friend was definitely one of those moments. Iroh looked back, even though the village was long gone. Looking briefly to the sky, he silently asked the spirits to watch over the girl. To keep her safe.

For all Zuko's denial of anything between he and Katara, Iroh was increasingly certain that their futures were joined.

Whether that was for better or worse was yet to be determined.

 **Chapter 11 folks. Hope you all liked it!**

 **Few things:**

 **1\. Sorry about the shortness of the chapter. I'm thinking when I next polish this fic, I'm going to merge this chapter with chapter 10. Heads up, I suppose.**

 **2\. I WILL be polishing it. Once I finish Part 2. Hopefully, this time I won't go on a several month long period without updating. During that time, I'll go and correct as many typos and mess ups as I can find. I'll also merge and delete chapters at my own discretion. This one will almost certainly be merged into chapter 10. I'm also thinking the top section of chap. 10 will be moved into chap. 9. It's the ONLY part of chap. 9 that includes Aang and Sokka, and also covers the same canon episode as chap. 9 did. So I think it would probably be best if I moved it over. Yay/nay, anybody?**

 **3\. Reviews. A few chapters back, I panicked when reviews lagged. I'm a panicky person, so when I started noticing that reviews weren't showing up, right after I deleted a chapter (first time I've ever done that) I got it into my head that I somehow broke the system and reviews wouldn't show up anymore.**

 **Obviously, I was wrong, and the issue went away right afterwards.**

 **, yes, I separated Katara from Zuko and Iroh. (For now, anyways.) Sorry, guys! I believe at least one person brought up a few points that led in this direction. Did you see this coming? Hmm...I believe the same person also pointed out that Katara was never given the spirit water. So, yeah, she also hasn't got that.**

 **Guess Aang had better be careful. :D**

 **5\. Inquiry about a fic I plan on writing in the future:**

 **First off, don't worry, this fic will NOT be interfering with this one. I don't plan on starting it until this one is either done, or close enough to done that I can still focus on this one. I acknowledge, I've started fic that haven't been finished in the past. A lot of that has to do with me getting distracted by a new idea.**

 **I do NOT intend on letting that happen again.**

 **Still, there's this Ty Lee idea that's been nagging me for quite a while, and I really want to write it. At some point. Not right now, as I've said.**

 **Still, if you like my writing, and you'd be interested in a Ty Lee fic, maybe when I do get around to it, some of you may want to check it out?**

 **So, the question is: Which of these pairings would you like to see?**

 **Ty LAang**

 **Ty Lokka**

 **Ty Luko**

 **Ty Lee/Mai (does that have a name?)**

 **Other**

 **Feel free to give one, or number them by preference.**

 **Or just don't answer. Feel free to do that, too. After all, you're here to read about Zutara, not Ty Lee!**

 **Anywho, thanks a ton for reading this, and I appreciate any reviews. Till next time.**


	12. Part 2 Chapter 4: A Vision In The Swamp

Chapter 12: A Vision In The Swamp

"Yeurgh," Aang made a sound as he tasted the stew Sokka had made. He made a face, one eye squinted, mouth in a grimace as he forced it down his throat. Aang would admit that he had been adventurous when he was young, putting many things in his mouth which weren't food, and even swallowing most of those things, but Sokka's stew was a whole new category of awful.

The stew was a dark, muddy brown color. It was watery, with mushy chunks of who-knows-what strewn throughout it. The chunks varied from a pale grayish color to green to a darker brown than the liquid it was in. Aang's attempts to scoop a bite from the bowl resulted in the chunks breaking apart. As it turned out, once he got a bite, it tasted as bad as it looked.

"You don't like my cooking," Sokka's voice was blunt and unsurprised. He looked into his own bowl. "I admit, I never actually learned. Katara and Gran-Gran always did the cooking back at the South Pole. And ever since we left, she was the only one who did." Sokka frowned. "I should've helped her more, I guess. Then maybe I'd have some clue what I'm doing. Just stick to the fish−I think the fish turned out alright."

Aang's eyes widened and his hands trembled slightly as he set the bowl down. He had only just suppressed the urge to gag from the stew's taste, but now he was feeling slightly nauseous again. "Fish? You put…fish in the stew?"

Sokka shrugged. "Well it needed some meat."

"But I'm a vegetarian!" Aang protested. He put the bowl down and stood up, looking upset. "I don't eat meat, Sokka!"

Sokka put down the bowl as he remembered. "Oh, right…" He scratched his head awkwardly. "Well, is fish really considered meat?"

"Never mind the definition!" Aang snapped. Sokka stood up as he saw Aang was close to tears. "Fish are still living beings! Their lives are sacred, too!"

"Could you just…I don't know, eat around the fish?"

Aang looked down into the bowl, looking green. "I think I'll pass."

Sokka frowned lightly, sitting back down. _Great going, Sokka_ , he thought to himself. _You successfully traumatized a twelve year old with fish stew._ He picked the bowl up, taking a sniff. He put it back down. _Traumatized yourself, too._

The next day, he cooked again. This time, he remembered not to put any form of meat in. It didn't look or taste any better, but at least Aang could eat it.

"Are you going to miss meat?" he asked Sokka.

Sokka shrugged. "If I find any, I'll make a bit for myself. But I won't put it into anything you'll be eating."

Aang offered a smile. "Thanks." His beliefs, his culture, was important to him. There was a time where most people knew better than to serve meat to an Air Nomad. But then, nobody had seen one in a hundred years, so most people didn't realize that vegetarianism was the norm to most airbenders. Many considered it an affront to the spirits themselves to kill animals, even for food. "Katara made the same mistake the first time she cooked after leaving the South Pole."

"She did?"

Aang nodded. "Although, her cooking was still better than yours." He had a smile on his face, teasing Sokka.

"Oh, right. Well, I know I'm not the worst cook in the world."

"Yeah? Who is?"

Sokka thought for a moment. "Prince Zuko," he told Aang.

Aang raised an eyebrow. "You've never tasted his cooking. How do you know how bad his cooking is?"

"It's Zuko. Can you picture him cooking at all?"

"True." Aang took a few more bites of the meatless soup-stew. He frowned as he chewed. "I wonder what ever happened to him?" The last time he'd seen Zuko was on the night Zhao killed the Moon Spirit and Katara had…died. It was unusual to go this long without any encounters with the Fire Prince.

 _Perhaps he died in the wave, too_ , Aang thought grimly.

"Don't know," Sokka responded. "And so long as we don't see him, I don't care. We've got enough problems without the jerk with the ponytail coming after us."

Aang frowned into his soup.

Despite everything, Aang couldn't help but feel concerned. Although Zuko was frequently an enemy, Aang couldn't help but wonder if they ever could've been friends. Especially after Zuko had saved him from Zhao. Granted, that had mostly been so that he could capture him himself, but still. They had worked well together that night. And Zuko and Zhao didn't seem to like each other much, despite both being Fire Nation. There was something about the prince that provoked curiosity in Aang. Aang couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more to the prince.

At times, Aang almost felt like he and the prince were somehow connected.

Moments like this, when he suddenly reconsidered Zuko's fate, and somehow felt certain that Zuko was still alive.

* * *

Pakku had told Sokka to keep Aang on track when he practiced his waterbending, and Sokka did his best to do so. Aang did seem to like to mess around, and Sokka frequently had to remind him to stay focused.

Of course, Katara would have been better. All Sokka could do was make sure Aang stayed on track; he couldn't actually help Aang with his waterbending. At one point, Aang was trying to learn something called the 'Octopus Form'. Trying and struggling, Aang admitted he needed help. Sokka raised an eyebrow, but went and looked over the waterbending scroll Aang was using. Looking it over, Sokka tried moving his arms around, attempting to emulate the positions and motions on the scroll.

Finally, he flung his arms down shaking his head. "I have no idea what I'm doing," he admitted. "Sorry, Aang. I think you're on your own here−I'll probably just confuse you even more."

Before Aang could respond, the two of them heard music. A group of travelers introduced themselves as nomads, and before long, they found themselves listening to a story about two lovers who built a secret passage through the mountains.

By the next morning, they had gone through the tunnels, befriended a pair of badger-moles, and Sokka had a big, red mark on his forehead. Those nomads had just about driven him crazy. Aang seemed to like them−although even he had found himself slightly exasperated by them at times.

Still, they had finally reached Omashu. And Aang was happy. After everything that had happened, he was eager to see Bumi again. His old (actually old, now) friend. And he could even teach him earthbending−what was better than that?

And then he and Sokka reached the top of the hill.

Omashu had been taken by the Fire Nation.

* * *

"I can't believe it," Aang remarked. "I know the war has spread far, but Omashu always seemed…untouchable."

"Up until now, it was," Sokka told him as he walked over to him. "Now Ba Sing Se is the only great Earth Kingdom stronghold left." It wasn't welcome news. The war was getting more and more intense, and the situation worse. With Omashu under Fire Nation control, Ba Sing Se was one of the last barriers to total domination.

It also wasn't welcome news to Aang. Sokka knew Aang had been looking forward to seeing Bumi, and he had also taken to regaling Sokka with stories about what Bumi and Aang had done before Aang had gotten frozen. After losing Katara, the revelation that Bumi's city had been taken must be terrifying to Aang.

"I'm going in to find Bumi," Aang declared, and he began walking towards Omashu.

"Aang, stop!" Sokka grabbed his arm. "We don't even know if he's still…"

"What? Still what?"

Sokka shook his head. He hadn't wanted to start an argument. "We've already lost Katara," he reminded Aang.

"I can't lose Bumi, too."

"But what about you?" Sokka questioned. "Going into a city under Fire Nation control? That's just asking for trouble. Look, we can find another earthbending teacher…"

"That's not what this is about, and you know it!" Aang snapped. "This is about finding my friend. We didn't give up on Katara," he reminded Sokka. "And I'm not going to give up on Bumi. Not when there's a chance he's still alive."

Sokka crossed his arms, but he followed Aang as he led them to a secret entrance he knew of.

"A secret passage? Why didn't we just use this last time?"

Aang finally flipped the lid off, and Sokka found himself being splashed with green sludge. "Yeurgh!"

"Does that answer your question?"

* * *

The sewer was disgusting, but it did provide them with a way into Omashu. By the time they come out, Sokka was covered in the green sludge, as well as a few purple pentapuses. He had initially panicked, only to have Aang come over and remove them. The suckers had left little red marks over his face and neck, inspiring 'pentapox'. The guards who had found them fell for it, quickly running off.

It was actually sort of funny, despite the situation.

They began their search for Bumi, but quickly found themselves interrupted by the resistance.

"Soo…is King Bumi with you guys? Is he leading the resistance?"

" _Of course not!_ " The earthbender said. "The day of the invasion, we prepared ourselves for battle; we were ready to defend our city, to fight for our lives and freedom! But before we even had a chance, King Bumi _surrendered_." _Sounds like the sort of thing he'd do_ , Sokka thought. Bumi may be Aang's friend, but Sokka still felt the guy was sort of crazy. "The day of the invasion," the man continued. "I asked King Bumi what he wanted us to do. He looked me in the eye and said "I'm going to do NOTHING!"" He shook his head, and Sokka definitely felt a headache coming on. "It doesn't matter now. Fighting the Fire Nation is the only path to freedom, and freedom is worth dying for."

"Actually, there's another path to freedom," Aang corrected. "You can leave Omashu. You're directing all your energy to fight the Fire Nation. But you're outnumbered! You can't win. Now's the time to retreat so you can fight another day."

"You don't understand! They've taken our home, and we have to fight them at ANY cost!"

"I don't know general," spoke another resistance member. "Living to fight another day is starting to sound pretty good to me."

Another spoke up. "Yeah, I'm with the kid!"

Murmurs broke out among the people of Omashu, most nodding, agreeing with Aang. The general finally relented, demanding how they could get everyone out.

"Suckers!" Sokka proclaimed as an idea hit him. Everyone looked at him like he'd lost his mind, but he quickly explained his idea. Some people looked skeptical, but as he related the story of how he and Aang had managed to convince several guards that he was sick, the other resistance members were won over.

"They actually believed it," Aang told them. "One of them even became convinced that his cousin had died of 'Pentapox.'"

Sokka nodded. "We'll fake a plague. And then we'll walk right out of the city, and they'll let us."

Sokka and Aang shared a smile.

* * *

The plan worked, but then it all went downhill. Of all the possible things that could have gone wrong, accidentally picking up a Fire Nation baby was not something Sokka, Aang, or any of the resistance members had thought of.

They weren't entirely certain what to do with him.

Several Omashu residents were in favor of keeping the baby.

"What sort of parent loses their baby like this?" a woman pointed out. "And how did he even get with us? And out of the city?" She shook her head. "Sounds neglectful to me. We may send him back, only for the boy to be lost again!"

"It would be one less soldier later," another man said. "If we raise him, he could make a fine Earth Kingdom soldier someday."

"Why bother?" one asked. "Why should we raise our enemy's child? If you're afraid he'll fight us someday, we could easily fix that issue with a large stone."

"What?!" Sokka, who was holding the baby, took a step back, holding the baby protectively. " _Do you hear yourself?!_ " Sokka agreed that sending the baby back to his Fire Nation parents wasn't a great idea. Still, killing _babies_ was _beyond_ crossing a line.

Aang stepped forward, glaring at the one who had suggested it. "You are not going to hurt him. He hasn't even done anything!"

"But someday," the man said.

"We'll end the war before this kid can write his name," Sokka snapped.

Arguing broke out−but most of the people of Omashu agreed that killing the baby was out of the question. The general settled the matter, declaring that until they decided what to do, the baby was under his, as well as Aang and Sokka's, protection.

"Nice change from General Fong," Sokka noted. "Can you imagine what he'd do with a Fire Nation baby?"

"I'd really rather not," Aang told him. He was looking rather green.

The question of what to do with the baby was resolved quickly enough, as they received a letter from the governor. The baby was his son.

And he was willing to trade King Bumi for him.

* * *

And that went wrong, of course.

It started out decently. King Bumi was in a metal box, being lowered down, cackling as he came into sight.

The girl from the night before, with the knives, came to negotiate. But she wasn't alone. There were two other girls, around Katara's age. One was wearing pink, her long brown hair in a braid. The other girl was…worrisome. She looked vaguely familiar, black hair in a top knot, amber eyes glinting.

That one took over the negotiations, and decided to fight.

Sokka was actually used to having fire thrown at him at this point.

But fire was not supposed to be _blue_!

Sokka's right arm was still slightly numb as they flew away on Appa.

"Those girls," he announced. "Are the creepiest people I've ever met." Between the one throwing knives, to the one who paralyzed half his body, to the one who was bending _blue fire_ , the three girls had definitely overwhelmed Sokka and Aang.

If it weren't for the baby being in the middle of it, and Bumi helping Aang out, Sokka and Aang would've been in a lot more trouble.

As it was, Sokka was forced to hand over the baby. Or rather, toss the baby over, into the pink girl's arms. Knife-girl had only narrowed her eyes, but she seemed to be more concerned with the baby−her brother, as Sokka remembered. She took the baby back, though she also frowned, seeming annoyed at having to take the baby back. After he gave the boy over, neither girl seemed too interested in pursuing him. One had their hands literally full, and the other only watched once Appa came.

Aang had had to deal with the blue fire girl. "It was sort of like facing Zuko," he said. "Except worse. Way, way worse." On the bright side, Bumi was okay. Apparently, he had actually wanted to be captured.

Which sounded crazy.

And, frankly, Bumi was crazy.

But he was also the most powerful earthbender they'd ever seen. If he said he should be left alone, as a prisoner of the Fire Nation, then the Fire Nation really was in for a surprise.

It was only after they got a decent distance away from Omashu that Sokka noticed something.

"Stupid knife-girl!" He glared at his pants, which were full of holes. "These were new, now they're full of holes!"

Aang looked over sympathetically. "I can fix them, if you like?"

Sokka looked to him. "Are your sewing skills better than my cooking skills?"

"I think so," Aang told him "Sometimes I'd have to help mending clothes back with the monks." He shrugged. "It might not be the best, but the alternative is walking around with holes in your clothes…"

Sokka took off his pants, handing them to Aang. Aang got onto Appa's saddle, handing Sokka the reins.

He'd find them somewhere to land, and then he'd make dinner.

They'd have to find Aang an earthbending master somewhere else.

* * *

"So we're tracking down your brother and uncle, huh?" Mai wasn't entirely sure whether she should be surprised or not. On one hand, treason didn't sound anything like the Zuko she remembered from her childhood. On the other hand, the main thing she about the Zuko from her childhood was that he had a distinct tendency to go and do things she didn't expect.

It was something she had liked about him

She liked how she couldn't know what he would do next.

At the very least, Zuko had never been boring.

He didn't look half bad, either.

"It'll be interesting seeing Zuko again, won't it Mai?" Ty Lee teased her. Mai smiled, looking to the side. Mai was glad to have Ty Lee back. Even though Ty Lee's perky, bubbly attitude frequently grated her skin, Ty Lee was nice. She prodded her, and sought her friendship when nobody else did.

Besides Azula, that is.

And Azula's…friendship would sometimes leave a sour taste in Mai's mouth.

There were times when Mai appreciated Azula, too.

But Mai didn't forget, and she wasn't anywhere near as forgiving as Ty Lee.

Mai remembered how Azula used to push Ty Lee around, and verbally knock her down whenever she did anything better than her.

She remembered losing her knives after scoring higher than Azula on an exam−and how the knives mysteriously reappeared after she intentionally scored lower than Azula on the next exam.

She certainly remembered how Azula had, just yesterday, broken the negotiations and begun a fight instead of trading the lunatic-king for her baby brother.

Mai was good with her knives.

She was even better at keeping her thoughts to herself.

"I wouldn't recommend setting your heart on him," Azula said. Mai set her face to neutrality again. "When I paid him a visit, I ended up meeting someone new." Her voice was sweet, and sharp. She was clearly enjoying herself. "I'm afraid Zuzu already has a girlfriend. Oh well."

He hates that nickname, Mai recalled. And he has a girlfriend?

"He can date whoever he wants," Mai said calmly. "I don't care." Her eyebrows furrowed slightly. "When did he find the time for a relationship, anyways?" From what she'd heard, he was obsessed with finding the Avatar to come home. Mai liked to think he also would have seen her as a reason to come back, but perhaps he'd never really been interested in her the way she'd been interested in him.

"Zuko hasn't changed at all," Azula said. "He still sees the need to go save inferior beings. Apparently, he insisted on rescuing some Water Tribe peasant from pirates. And the rest is history." Her voice was smug.

It was occasions like these that Mai liked to imagine awful things happening to Azula. Bad haircuts, holes in her clothing, messing up a firebending move.

"A Water Tribe girl?" Ty Lee sounded dubious. "Really?" She shrugged, looking sympathetically at Mai. "Didn't see that coming. Did you meet her? What's she like?"

"Hideous," Azula declared. "Like all Water Tribe savages. Witless, and weak. Not worthy to look at somebody from the royal line, much less touch them. But then, Zuko always did love animals." It was a pretty nasty thing to say, but it was Azula, so it wasn't that surprising. It was funny, Mai noted, how Azula prided herself on being better at everything than Zuko. Including people skills.

But she didn't notice how fake Ty Lee's laugh was.

"Zuko has always been unpredictable. It's why he isn't boring." It wasn't a positive or a negative statement. Hopefully, Azula wouldn't be able to use it against her.

"He really is a fool. Who in their right minds would choose some peasant, from an inferior nation, over you?" It was Azula's version of a pep-talk.

Mai didn't need those.

"Perhaps I can ask him why when we capture them."

If Zuko really was in love with this girl, then he wouldn't abandon her. For all his unpredictability, Mai knew that once Zuko devoted himself to something−someone−he wouldn't take it lightly. He had, after all, spent the past three years looking for someone nobody had seen in a century. If he was half as devoted to this Water Tribe girl…

"It's not just Zuko and Iroh anymore," Azula informed Mai and Ty Lee. "We have a third target now."

So they'd also be going after the Avatar. Mai had heard about what had happened at the North Pole. It sounded like going after the Avatar was a spectacular way to die.

At least it would be more interesting than Omashu.

They made their plans, preparing for departure.

Mai thought on what she'd learned. Even she had her dreams, and admittedly, Zuko had been part of many of them. He wasn't boring, after all, and he had been fairly attractive, too. She sometimes thought about what he may look like with his scar. Azula said it was hideous, and completely ruined how he looked. But she was Azula, so Mai would never take her at her word. Mai had, in some moments, imagined him coming her way, and taking her away from her parents, away from the colonies. Wherever he'd have taken her, it would've been more exciting than where she was, so long as he was there.

 _Crushes really are stupid_ , she decided, trying to disregard the small sliver of hurt she felt. _It doesn't matter; I'll find someone else. Maybe someone even better._

Mai's thoughts turned to Zuko's mysterious girlfriend. Water Tribe. Contrary to Azula's opinion, Mai didn't think being from outside the Fire Nation inherently made people inferior. The nations themselves were weak, on the precipice of being conquered entirely, but she doubted that Zuko would take interest in some weakling.

Azula was miscalculating, if she really wasn't counting on encountering Zuko's girlfriend again.

She was miscalculating, if she didn't think this girl would fight for ones she loves.

And, knowing Zuko as she did, Mai doubted his girlfriend would be defenseless.

It may even make for a better fight than against the Avatar.

* * *

A few days after escaping Omashu, Aang and Sokka were traveling through the Earth Kingdom. Truthfully, they weren't entirely sure where they were supposed to be going. Previously, they'd known they were going to the North Pole. Then, they'd known they were going to Omashu.

Now? They had only the advice of finding an earthbender who 'waits and listens'.

As they flew Appa over a swamp, Aang caught sight of some sort of light down in the swamp. He gazed down at it, feeling somehow enchanted. The light seemed to be following them, or perhaps he was following it.

"Hey, you taking us down for a reason?" Sokka asked. He'd been sharpening his weapons when he'd noticed them going down from the clouds, towards a swamp. When Aang didn't answer, Sokka raised his voice. "Aang! Why are we going down?"

Aang jumped, seeming to snap out of…whatever it was. "What? I didn't even notice."

Sokka raised an eyebrow. "Are you noticing now?" Appa was flying downwards. If this kept up, they'd be in the swamp in a minute.

Aang looked over to him. "I know this is gonna sound weird, but I think the swamp is calling to me."

And didn't that sound ominous?

"Is it telling you somewhere we can get something to eat?" That would be appreciated, at least.

"No, I…I think it wants us to land there."

 _Oh, fantastic._

"No offense to the swamp, but I don't see any land there to land on." It looked full of plants and trees, covering every last inch of the swamp. Sokka couldn't see the ground.

"I don't know. Bumi said to learn earthbending, I would have to wait and listen. And now I'm actually hearing the earth. Do you want me to ignore it?"

Once again, Sokka took a peek over Appa's saddle. " _Yes._ " The more he saw that swamp, the less he liked it−and he hadn't liked it to begin with. "It looks really easy to get lost in, for starters." And something else about it was seriously giving him the creeps. He didn't know what, but with Aang being the Avatar, he just knew they'd attract the worst the swamp had to offer. As if in agreement, Appa let out a big groan. "See," Sokka pointed out. "Even Appa and Momo don't like it here."

Aang sighed. "Okay," he agreed. "Since everyone feels so strongly about this." He looked down at the swamp once more. "Bye, swamp. Yip, yip!"

And they were off again, leaving the swamp behind.

Or they were, until a tornado suddenly appeared, sucking them all in.

They tried to avoid it, but the thing practically seemed to follow them. Finally, it spat them all out, throwing Aang, Sokka, Appa, and Momo into the swamp.

It was pretty much like Sokka thought it would be, with trees completely blocking out the sun. It was wet, too, with a good foot of water covering the ground. He dragged himself up, sopping wet.

"Where's Appa and Momo?" Aang questioned. He used his airbending to jump up the trees, to the top of the swamp. After a few minutes, he returned down, unsuccessful. "I couldn't find them," he reported. "And the tornado, it just disappeared." Sokka's eyes widened, and he turned and looked deeper into the swamp. Between the trees and vines, it was dark enough to obscure any further into it.

It was ominous, and Sokka didn't like it.

"We have to find Appa and Momo," he stated simply. The sooner they were found, the sooner they could leave. As he began walking, Aang let out a startled shout. Sokka quickly looked back. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

Aang was staring at Sokka. "Don't freak out…but you've got an elbow-leech."

"Where, where?!" Sokka searched around.

"Uh…on your elbow?" Sokka blinked, and then pulled the thing off. _Right,_ _ **elbow**_ _-leech._ "Why do things keep attaching themselves to me?!"

* * *

Sokka hacked and slashed his way through the vines in the swamp. Aang could tell Sokka didn't like being lost in the swamp, and was eager to find Appa and get out. Aang couldn't say he disagreed, but with every plant torn, Aang increasingly felt wary about the swamp.

"Maybe we should be a little nicer to the swamp," he suggested. He recalled Hei Bai, the forest spirit that had gone on a rampage after his home was burnt down. Granted, cutting through some vines was hardly the same as burning down most of a forest, but Aang still felt concerned about this swamp. He knew he was feeling something in this swamp; as great as it was to interact with the spirits sometimes, Aang really didn't want to anger one.

"Aang, these are just plants! Do you want me to say 'please' and 'thank you' as I swing my machete back and forth?" Sokka had never been particularly attuned to spirits, or nature.

"But I can feel something," Aang insisted. "It's like the swamp is alive. I don't think angering it is a good idea…"

Sokka looked at him for a moment, and then resumed chopping through the vines. "I'm sure there are lots of things here that are alive," he dismissed. "And if we don't want to get eaten by them, we need to find Appa and Momo as fast as we can."

They resumed wading their way through the swamp, but Aang continued feeling nervous.

He could swear, it felt like they were being watched.

Eventually, night fell, and what little light had reached through the trees to the ground faded into darkness. Aang and Sokka were still searching for Appa and Momo.

"There's no way they can hear us," Sokka noted. "And no way we can see them. We'll have to make camp for the night." Sokka sounded frustrated. He heard bugs flying around his head, and made to swat them, pulling out his machete.

A bubble popped below them, releasing swamp gas. Sokka and Aang made faces, pinching their noses.

That wasn't the worst of it, as they heard what sounded like a woman screaming. They jumped, letting out their own shouts. The two hugged closely together, momentarily panicking. Another screaming sound rang out.

"I think we should build a fire," Sokka suggested. He ran off and cut into a tree's roots.

"Sokka, the longer we're here, the more I think you shouldn't be doing that." The swamp had been strange from the start, and now that they would have to spend the night, Aang was certain that there was something strange about the swamp. If there was a spirit guardian of the swamp, Sokka could be angering it.

"No, I asked the swamp! It said this was fine. Right, swamp?" Sokka grabbed a branch, and began pulling it back and forth, using it as a puppet. "No problem Sokka," he imitated. And then he used his machete to cut it off. Aang could only raise an eyebrow.

* * *

A couple hours later, Sokka and Aang were sitting in a hollow tree, with a small fire burning through the pieces of wood Sokka had chopped. It was still night, and it was also foggy, giving the strange swamp an even more foreboding feel to it.

"Sokka, I know this might sound crazy, but I really do feel like we aren't along in this swamp," Aang told him. "Do you feel like we're being watched?" Aang did, and he still wondered if it could be a spirit.

"Please," Sokka scoffed. "We're all alone out here." A bug flew around Sokka's face, prompting him to pull out his machete to try and swipe at it. As it flew away from Sokka, the bug suddenly burst into light, nearly blinding them for a moment. It flew off into the darkness of the trees, illuminating what appeared to be numerous sets of _eyes_ looking at Sokka and Aang.

"Except for them," Aang said.

"Right," Sokka acknowledged, a new tremor in his voice. "Except for them." He and Aang huddled together. Aang had never minded the spiritual aspect to being the Avatar. But this swamp, whether it had anything to do with the spirits or not, was officially the creepiest place Aang had ever been to. And, being a nomad, that was saying something.

Eventually, both of the boys succumbed to sleep, still huddled together. The fire slowly died out, casting them into darkness again. Despite the eeriness of their surroundings, they found respite in their dreams. They were too deeply asleep to notice vines moving around their bodies, grabbing ahold of them.

They only noticed when the vines pulled them apart, dragging them through the swamp, away from each other.

Sokka reacted the quickest, pulling out his machete and stabbing it into the ground in an attempt to stop himself from being pulled. "Aang!" he shouted, seeing his friend being dragged through the trees. The young Water Tribesman panicked as Aang left his line of sight. He couldn't help but think of how similar it was−Aang dragged by vines, Katara by a wave. _I can't lose him, too._ He took his machete, chopping through the vines, freeing himself. He stood up, looking to where Aang had been taken, ready to follow.

A new set of vines appeared before Sokka could run after Aang, sending Sokka running to avoid them. He ran, dodging the new vines, unaware of where he was heading.

 _I knew we shouldn't have landed in this swamp! Stupid tornado…_

Aang had been slower to react to the vines, and found himself quickly pulled through the swamp. He'd heard Sokka's shout, seen his panicked expression. He knew Sokka probably didn't want to be separated−not after what had happened with Katara.

Pulling himself upright and standing, Aang resisted the vines which had tied themselves around him. Finally, he used his airbending to form a sphere around him, pushing the vines back. Taking the opportunity, Aang jumped up onto a trees branch, fleeing the vines. _I have to get back to Sokka!_ He hoped he was okay. Jumping from branch to branch, however, it seemed that the vines weren't done yet. Another appeared, pulling him down to the ground with a _thud_. Aang pushed himself away, leaving the vines behind.

Finally, he seemed to have escaped the vines.

And he had no idea where he was.

"Sokka?" he called out. He looked around. This part of the swamp seemed unfamiliar. A small sliver of light reached through the trees, prompting Aang to look up.

It was dawn, and Aang now had to find not just Appa and Momo, but also Sokka.

He sighed for a moment, shaking his head. Then he started walking.

* * *

"AANG!" Sokka was calling out at the top of his lungs. It had been several hours, and he'd had no luck in finding him. He pulled out his machete, chopping through the vines. He recalled how Aang had been nervous about the plants the day before. Sokka had disregarded it. Now, he supposed, Aang may have been proven correct. Of course, Sokka was now mad at the plants. _If you're alive_ , he thought angrily, _then give me my friend back! He didn't even do anything to you!_ Sokka was terrified. He couldn't lose Aang, too. He HAD to find him.

And then they needed to find Appa and Momo. Preferably, before nighttime. One night in the swamp had been enough. "Stupid swamp," he muttered. "Dumb, ugly vines! AANG! You think you're so tough, huh?" He accidentally entangled himself in the vines, falling over into the water. Looking up, he saw a glow. He saw…

It couldn't be.

"Hello?" His voice was quiet now, as he walked forward. It was her. "Yue?" She was every bit as beautiful as he remembered. More, even. She was the Moon Spirit, as he'd seen her when she'd said goodbye. And kissed him. But it wasn't possible−she couldn't be there. "This is just a trick of the light," he told himself, holding his head in his hands, looking an explanation. "Swamp gas. I hit my head while running away last night…I'm going crazy!" It wasn't out of the question. Sokka had heard of Water Tribe men who lost their minds after losing their families in Fire Nation raids. And he had, after all, lost his girlfriend (could he really call her that?) and his sister on the same night. Sokka certainly hoped he wouldn't have lost his mind, however. After all, Aang needed him. He turned around, walking toward the…apparition? Mirage? Hallucination?

"You didn't protect me," it said. Yue's voice. "You didn't protect me."

The words hit Sokka like a ton of stones. He rubbed his eyes. Looking again, he didn't see Yue, only a beam of light that passed through the trees. Sighing, he turned around.

Only to be confronted by Yue again.

Gasping, Sokka fell backwards, landing on his butt in the water.

Looking up again, he was alone, but Yue's voice still haunted him. You didn't protect me.

"I'm sorry, Yue," he mumbled. It had been his duty to protect her that night, and he failed. "I'm sorry Katara." He had failed his sister, too. Taking a breath, Sokka stood up, drawing his machete again as he continued his search.

He wouldn't fail Aang.

* * *

Elsewhere in the swamp, Aang wandered around, calling for his friends. "SOKKA! APPA! MOMO!" At least it was day, Aang noted. It would have been even worse to have to look for them in the dark. Especially considering how strange the swamp was. "SOKKA!"

"I never wanted to leave you to begin with!" Aang paused as he heard a new voice talking. He blinked. That certainly wasn't Sokka talking−it sounded like a girl.

"Hello?" he called out, quieter than before. Was there somebody else in the swamp? Aang began walking towards where the voice had seemed to come from. _There's something familiar about that voice…_

"Yes," the voice was softer now, and Aang wasn't sure he'd have heard it if he hadn't begun walking towards it. "We are friends."

Aang blinked. He knew that voice, how could he not recognize it immediately? But then, it had been weeks since he'd heard it, and he'd never expected to hear it again. Eagerly, but nervously, Aang pushed his way through some vines to see the speaker.

"Katara!?"

He saw her, and a wide grin took over his face. It was her, it was Katara.

She looked different than he'd ever seen her before. She was wearing Earth Kingdom clothing, and her hair was done differently. Her loopies weren't beaded, resulting in them loosely hanging back to be pulled into a ponytail. Her hair looked a little shorter than Aang remembered it, but there was no doubt that it was her.

"I thought you were dead! Sokka and I looked for you, but we couldn't find you!" He walked closer, seeing her smile a little sadly. He reached her, trying to go for a hug…

He passed right through her.

He gasped as he did.

At once, the illusion was shattered. _She's not real_ , Aang realized. _She's not really here…she's gone._ He looked up, seeing the illusion of Katara tearing up slightly. She looked behind her for a moment, and Aang wondered what she was looking at. When she turned back to look at Aang, she looked slightly stressed. "They need me, Aang. He needs me. I can't leave them now."

"What?" Aang questioned. "What does that mean?" He didn't understand it. And the apparition of Katara was gone. Aang pondered it for a moment, looking over to where Katara had looked. Seeing nothing, he sighed. "Hey, uh, spirits? If this is supposed to be advice, or a test, or something, I'd really appreciate some clearer instructions…"

And then someone was laughing. Aang turned around, seeing a girl standing above him on a tree's roots. The girl looked to be around his age, black hair put up neatly into a bun. She was wearing nice robes−clothes more suited to a nobleman's dinner party than to a swamp. There was a flying boar beside her.

"Hello?" he called out tentatively. Was this another illusion? "Who're you?"

The girl (apparition?) laughed again, turning around and running.

"Hey! Come back!" Aang needed answers now. This swamp's mystery had officially grabbed his attention. He began chasing the girl through the swamp, swinging around the trees, jumping up and down the branches, guided by her laughter.

It was strange. Aang felt drawn to this girl, whether she was real or not. He knew he had to follow her, he had to find her.

Finally, he saw her standing still. "Who are you?" he questioned as he ran over to her.

Upon getting close to her, however, he suddenly saw Sokka in her place. He let out a surprised shout before barreling into Sokka, falling over him, dragging Sokka to the ground with him. Sokka was the first on his feet. Although he felt relieved to be with Aang again, he began shouting.

"Aang! Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you!"

"I was chasing some girl," Aang told him.

"What?!" Sokka squinted at him. "So while I've been worrying about where you were, you were looking for some girl?" He stopped for a moment, considering. "Wait, what girl are you talking about?"

"I don't know," Aang said. "I heard laughing, and then I saw some girl in a fancy dress." He didn't immediately tell Sokka about seeing Katara. He didn't know what to think of it, and he didn't think it was the best thing to remind Sokka of.

"Well, there must be a tea party here, and we just didn't get our invitation!" Sokka's voice was oozing sarcasm.

"But this swamp has something going on," Aang insisted. "I think it might be from the spirit world!" He hesitated. "It may be trying to tell me something."

Sokka hesitated for a moment, looking down. "I thought I saw Yue," he admitted. "But that doesn't prove anything! Look, I think about her all the time. It's not that strange that I'd see her, if I had to have a hallucination."

It made sense, Aang supposed. After all, he had also seen Katara, and he thought of her a lot, too. But then, it wasn't just Katara that he had seen. "But what about me? I didn't know the girl I saw." Something else occurred to him. "Our visions led us right here."

Sokka frown, putting his fingers to his chin. "Well, what's here?"

Aang looked around, looked up. "The center…it's the heart of the swamp," Aang declared, looking up to a tree that towered above them, even higher than any other part of the swamp. Aang grinned, understanding. "It's been calling us here! I knew it!"

"It's just a tree," Sokka protested. "It can't call anyone! For the last time, there's nothing after us, and there's nothing magical happening here!"

As if to prove Sokka wrong, the water beneath them surged upwards, splashing around. A figure rose, appearing to be some sort of vine monster. Aang and Sokka let out a startled scream, before running to avoid the vines. Sokka was quickly grabbed by the vines, which tossed him through the water. Aang sent string gusts of wind against the monster, forcing it to drop Sokka. It turned its attention to Aang, allowing Sokka the opportunity to pull out his machete and begin chopping through the vines. It quickly took notice, grabbing him up again, and began skiing its way through the swamp, Sokka in its grasp.

Aang attacked again, attacking with airbending to try and make it drop Sokka again.

"Aang!" Sokka shouted. "Waterbend! This is a SWAMP!"

 _Right_ , Aang thought, _lots of water here. Might as well use it!_ He nodded, and began sending strong waves against the vines, though it had little effect. Aang frowned as he saw Sokka struggle. He created an air scooter, riding it onto the top of the vines. He used his airbending to mix around the vines, compressing it. Then, as he jumped down, he froze the vines around Sokka, and broke him out.

"Are you okay?" he asked as they collided on the ground.

"Yeah, but so is the swamp monster." Sokka had his machete out, and Aang already turned around, ready to face the thing again. "I'd cut through it, but I can't get close." He looked to Aang. "But maybe you can use your bending to cut through it!"

Aang nodded, face set in determination. He recalled the blades Pakku had taught him and Katara. He executed the movements, quickly and swiftly, sending blade after blade to the vines. It worked, and he and Sokka could see openings in the vine.

It wasn't a monster at all.

"There's someone in there! He's _bending_ the vines!"

Aang leapt over, delivering a final, overwhelming blast of wind, blowing away the vines. It revealed an old man, hair gray and wild. "Why did you call me here if you just wanted to kill us?"

"Wait!" the man declared, now letting go of the remaining vines. "I didn't call you here."

Aang blinked, exchanging a glance with Sokka. Aang and Sokka told him about how they'd been drawn into the swamp. Before they knew it, they were following the man up the tree in the center of the swamp.

"I protect the swamp from folks who want to hurt it," the man told them. "Like this fellow with his big knife."

"See? Completely reasonable," Sokka told Aang. "Not a monster, just a regular guy defending his own! Nothing mystical about it!"

An Avatar and a skeptic. Aang sometimes wondered if there had ever been a stranger pair of friends.

"Oh, the swamp is a mystical place, alright," the old man corrected. He proceeded to tell Aang and Sokka about the swamp, how the world was really one large being. Aang was fascinated. Sokka said nothing, but Aang knew he didn't believe it. Aang found it all rather beautiful.

"When we were in the swamp," Aang told the man. "We both had visions. What did they mean?"

"It the swamp, you see visions of people you've lost. People we love. Folks who we think are gone. But the swamp tells us they're not. We're still connected to them. Time is an illusion, and so is death." Aang smiled for a second as he thought of Katara. Not really gone. But then, there was the other girl.

"But what about my vision? There was someone I've never met."

The old man was smiling. "You're the Avatar, you tell me."

"Time is an illusion," Aang considered. "So…it's someone I'm going to meet." Aang found himself smiling. He had always enjoyed making new friends−if this girl was someone he'd love, then he couldn't wait to meet her.

 _People you've lost._

That, admittedly, didn't sound too great to Aang. Was he going to know this girl, love her, and then lose her?

He didn't want to lose anyone else.

And what did Katara mean?

Sokka interrupted his thought, pointing out that they still hadn't found Appa and Momo. Aang, now understanding the swamp, used his connection to it to find them.

They were in trouble.

* * *

The situation with Appa and Momo was, thankfully, resolved without much hassle. As soon as Hue came, they quickly let Appa and Momo go. As it turned out, they were another Water Tribe.

"I never knew these guys even existed," Sokka had told Aang. He shook his head. "A third Water Tribe, in the middle of the Earth Kingdom. Who knew?"

They stayed the night with them, and the tribe even provided food for them, for which Aang and Sokka were grateful. Aang ate just a few mushrooms which had grown in the swamp, one of the only vegetarian things cooked in the tribe.

Of course, Sokka was eating a bug, so he couldn't exactly comment on Aang's diet at that time.

Aang remained quiet through the meal, eventually prompting Sokka to turn and ask him what was wrong.

"Sokka, I told you about how I saw that girl in the swamp…"

Sokka raised an eyebrow. "What about it?" He didn't want to talk about his own vision.

Aang looked away for a moment, before looking to Sokka again. "I didn't tell the whole truth," he admitted. "I had two visions. I saw two people."

Sokka stopped eating to pay attention. "Who else did you see?" He had his suspicions.

"I saw Katara."

Sokka shook his head. "I'm telling you, it was just hunger getting to us…Yue, Katara. It's not that strange to see them, we've been thinking about them a lot…"

"But Katara didn't look like how I remember her," Aang protested. Sokka blinked.

"What do you mean?"

"She was wearing Earth Kingdom clothing. And her hair was done differently, I think it may have been shorter." Sokka stopped, looking at Aang for a moment.

"That…doesn't make any sense." He frowned. "I can't recall Katara ever looking like that." He shot a glance at Aang. "Did she…say anything?"

Aang nodded. "She said they need her."

"What does that even mean?"

Aang shrugged. "The swamp brought us here for a reason," Aang insisted. "Maybe her message is important?"

Sokka stood up abruptly, shaking his head. "No. NO, we're NOT paying these hallucinations any heed."

"But Sokka−"

"No, Aang! No. Katara is gone. She's dead. Whatever you saw in that swamp…" He shook his head. "Whatever that was, she's gone."

He stormed off to go to sleep, leaving Aang by the campfire.

 _"They need me, Aang. He needs me. I can't leave them now."_

"What does that mean, Katara?" he murmured into the dying flames. His vision made no sense. Time is an illusion. If she never looked like that, then maybe it meant she was going to…

Aang stood up, going to sleep.

His thoughts were going in a dangerous direction, back into denial. It had taken him so long to accept the death of his people, the death of Katara. Was he just latching on to hope to have it dashed again?

Could it really have been a vision of Katara's future?

But she was dead.

Maybe it was just her spirit, visiting him. Giving advice? Giving solace? What did her words mean?

Aang drifted asleep, dreams filled with laughing girls with flying boars, dead friends, and, strangely, Katara and Zuko wandering through the Earth Kingdom together.

 **Wow. Didn't think this chapter would turn out so long. Guess it kinda makes up for last chapter's shortness.**

 **1\. Anyways, sorry about how much of this is going over the canon episodes. Probably not the most exciting.**

 **If it makes you feel better, I DID pretty much tell you how part 2 of this fic is going to end. :D  
Also, consider, we are one chapter closer to meeting Toph, one chap closer to starting the Taang, one chap closer to Aang and Sokka being reunited with Katara, one chapter closer to Katara being reunited with Zuko and Iroh (one chapter closer to Zutara).**

 **So, if you hated this chapter, hopefully that'll make you feel better.**

 **2\. For the record, I actually like Mai. As a character, I like her, and I actually see some of her in myself sometimes. I just don't like her with Zuko.**

 **3\. I'm thinking there's gonna be around four or five more chapters in part 2. Then, I'll do some polishing. For the record, I'm also thinking there's going to be around three to four more parts in this fic. So, yeah, so even close to done.**

 **Other projects:**

 **1\. Ty Lee, Kyoshi Warrior: this isn't the Ty Lee fic I was telling you about. This is just a one-shot, exploring how she bonded with the Kyoshi Warriors and decided to join them in the third season.**

 **2\. Untitled Ty Lee fic: this is the one I was asking about pairings for. I'm not going to be devoting significant time to this any time soon, because it's going to be a larger project, like this one. This fic isn't even 40% done, and it's over 50,000 words. The Ty Lee fic is gonna be at least as big. But, I think it'll also be one of the cooler things I'll be writing.**

 **Basic details: Ty Lee joins the Gaang even before Toph, Azula starts losing it way sooner than in canon, and by the time of canon season 3, Ozai is gonna be realizing he's in a really, REALLY nasty situation regarding succession.**

 **:D  
Pairing poll:**

 **Ty Lokka: 3**

 **Ty Luko: 2**

 **Ty Laang: 1**

 **Ty Lee/Mai: 1**

 **Other: 0**

 **Considering that it's gonna be a while before I actually start this, you guys can feel free to keep on saying your preference. I also put a poll on my profile, if you want to use that. You can put up to two choices.**

 **Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter. Pretty please leave a review with anything you've got to say.**


	13. Part 2 Chapter 5: Back Where They Began

Chapter 13: Back Where They Began

It had been noon when Katara had left Song's village, hitching a ride on Jing's wagon. Within hours, she had been dropped off in a new village, where she had thanked Jing for his help, and waved goodbye.

Over the past several days, Katara had been travelling from village to village. She had found somebody with a spare map, and she had marked where she was, using it to keep track of her progress towards Omashu. The first day or so went smoothly, but Katara quickly became aware of a serious problem: she had no money. Initially, it wasn't much of an issue; she still had some of the supplies given to her, Zuko, and Iroh by Song and her mother. She had roughly half of the supplies, and since she wasn't sharing them with anybody, they lasted a little bit longer. When she was thinking of this, her thoughts once again drifted to the two Fire Nation royals. Thinking of Zuko, she felt angry, and would occasionally find herself being spiteful. _I hope he gets lost_ , she would think, _I hope he starves to death. That's just karma after you steal from those who gave you food._ But Katara would immediately regret it. After all, of all the things Zuko had done, stealing an ostrich-horse would hardly be the thing he'd die for. And then there was Iroh, who Katara found she genuinely missed. The old general was kind and thoughtful, and despite the fact that they were bound by misfortune, he had always managed to make Katara see a bright side. Thinking of him, she hoped that he was okay. Even Zuko−one child was more than enough for Iroh to lose. All of this think would inevitably lead to her irritation with Zuko again. _Just go and get yourself killed, why don't you? It's not like your uncle would miss you or anything!_

Katara would shake herself out of these thoughts, reminding herself that there were much more important matters at hand. Most notable, of course, was the money situation. It certainly wasn't the first time she'd been in this situation. She and Sokka, after all, grew up in the South Pole. And the South Pole, though it was home, was hardly overflowing with riches. When she and Sokka left to go after Aang, they'd quickly thrown together the most basic needs, but money was not on their minds. They brought what they could spare, but that turned out to be little. Katara remembered the first time they had gone shopping. She and Sokka had found it rather baffling. Even the most basic of items was expensive. She had quickly taken charge of the money situation, knowing that Sokka and Aang both had a tendency to buy things before thinking it through. She tended to buy only what was needed. Sokka and Aang had pitched in in their own ways. Sokka would go hunting or fishing to find any meat or fish. Aang, of course, didn't eat meat, so Katara would cook whatever Sokka caught separately, adding it only to Sokka and her bowls. Aang, in turn, would find other things to eat. He had, after all, gotten around the world a lot before he'd been frozen. He was familiar with a considerable amount of plants, and when able, would point out edible ones. Even still, they occasionally ran out of money on their way to the North Pole.

One these occasions, they would stop by a town, and take up jobs. For a day, for two. Just to get enough money that they could get anything they needed to get a little further in their journey. And that was exactly what Katara had done over the past several days. She'd come into the town, and find somewhere she could be of service. From looking after children, to organizing a shop, to healing a group of injured soldiers. Some gave her decent money, others gave her a single copper piece. She didn't complain about any of them, though after one person gave her only two copper pieces after she had looked after their obnoxious toddler all day, she had felt like screaming. That day had felt like a waste.

Still, she was able to get by, and on several days she had managed to convince somebody to give her a lift to the next town on the trail to Omashu. She still had a long way to go, and every time she marked on the map, she felt a mixture of excitement and disappointment. Disappointment because Omashu was still a long way off. But excitement because, slow as it was going, she was getting nearer and nearer to the city. To Aang and Sokka. _I can't wait to see them_ , she thought, smiling to herself. She readjusted herself in the wagon she'd hitched a ride on. It was nighttime, and she'd been working for the wagon's owner during the day. It had been exhausting manual labor, but it paid off. He gave her the ride as payment, and that probably staved at least some time off.

She slept as they passed through a small village, and through the rest of the night.

* * *

"Are you awake, miss?" the man knocked on the wagon. Katara blinked as she opened her eyes. She nodded, sitting up and pushing herself out of the wagon. She smiled, looking to the man.

"Thanks again for helping me," she said, giving him a small bow. He shook his head.

"It's the least I can do. You were a tremendous help yesterday," he told her. "And I know my farm wasn't exactly a clean job." He looked down to her robes, which were now browned at the bottom. "Still, I've needed help on it for some time. Couldn't afford to pay a copper piece, but then you come along and settle for a ride to towns over." He smiled. "Good luck, Katara, I hope you find those friends of yours. And be careful−the roads aren't always safe for a young lady such as yourself."

"Goodbye, Chun."

Katara entered the new town, looking around it. It was larger than most of the others Katara had passed through over the week. Katara walked over a bridge over a small stream. She stopped for a moment to take in the view. It was nice; it was sunrise, with reds and purples in the sky. If she looked one direction, she could still see the moon on the horizon, going down for another day. The village was surrounded by hills, and with the stream making a slight noise as the water flowed by, it made for a beautiful, peaceful scene.

Crossing over the bridge, she walked into the village. She explored a little, and bought one apple. It made for a good enough breakfast as she looked for anyone needing any service. She looked into the small moneybag she had bought. Two silver, one copper. It wasn't the worst she'd dealt with, but if she planned on eating one her way to the next town, she'd better find work.

She had only turned a corner and walked two steps before stopping with a gasp. It can't be!

But it was.

There they were, just like they had been when she'd left them a week ago. Zuko and Iroh, sitting beside the street, backs against the stolen ostrich-horse. Iroh had his hat out, turned upside down to be used as a bag as he asked for money. Zuko sat to his right, hat on, casting a shadow over his face. He was sulking, again, as his uncle patiently waited for somebody to give them any spare coins they had.

Katara stood frozen for a moment, gaping at her two former companions. She didn't notice her cheeks turning red as she tried to figure out what to do. Should she ignore them? Say hello? Perhaps she should go and slap Zuko, start a new argument. She could go and gloat how she was doing well, without their help, or stealing. Then again, her moneybag wasn't exactly overflowing.

Before she could decide, Iroh turned, nearly looking right at her. With a gasp, Katara quickly fled into a shop, flinging the door open so hard it nearly hit the wall inside the shop. She stayed beside the doorway for a minute, hoping that Iroh wouldn't come in to say hello to her.

 _I don't want to talk to them_ , she decided. After weeks in their company, she had only just gotten away from them. Away from their conversations and arguments. Away from Iroh, who she could hardly call an enemy at this point. Away from Zuko, who she had nearly considered a friend…

But friends don't leave each other; they don't disregard your opinion and leave you behind. We aren't friends. And I DON'T want to talk them again. She breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed that Iroh hadn't seen her. Or perhaps he had simply decided not to bother her.

"Excuse me?" came a somewhat tired tone. Katara looked over to see the shopkeeper looking at her. "Are you here for something? Because, if you aren't here to buy something, then I would appreciate it if you wouldn't stand around." The shopkeeper was old, with graying hair pulled back into a braid. He sat behind a table, a cane resting just behind him.

"Sorry," Katara apologized. She looked around the shop. There was nothing there she needed, but the shop was dusty and looking down she could see dirt on the floor. It was also sort of disorganized. "Actually, maybe I could help you. See…it's a long story, but I got separated from my friends a few weeks back. I've been travelling from town to town to try to get back to them, but I need money. So, if you could spare a few coins, I'd be happy to help clean up your shop for you, or anything else you need." She put on her friendliest smile.

The man rubbed his chin, thinking it over. "My shop does need cleaning, doesn't it? My knees cry when I so much as stand, my right worse than my left. To say nothing of other parts…and nobody has been around to clean my shop since my grandson left to fight in the war." The old man nodded. "You've got a deal, young one. He pointed to a door to his left. "Cleaning supplies are in there. Perhaps you could start by dusting…the dust makes some people sneeze."

Katara quickly set herself to it, and she put her effort into it. True to what the man said, she found herself sneezing as she dusted the shelves of products.

It was dull, mindless work, but it served its purpose. She would get money, and better yet, she was inside, away from Zuko and Iroh. It would have been an awkward encounter. And, frankly, she felt certain that she and Zuko would end up fighting again.

 _And it didn't matter_ , she decided as she began sweeping the floor. A least they weren't after Aang anymore, and that was what mattered. They were on their way to Ba Sing Se, and she was on her way to Omashu. So they both ended up in this town. It didn't mean anything. They would separate again, and she wouldn't see them. Ever.

And that didn't bother her, she told herself as she organized the shop's products. She ignored how she had, admittedly, felt relieved when she first saw them. At least they hadn't gotten themselves killed. A miracle, she decided. "Such an idiot," she muttered, thinking of Zuko.

She heard a snort, and she turned to look at the shopkeeper, who was looking amused. "I'm guessing you're thinking of a boy?"

She raised her eyebrow as she resumed her work. After a few moments she responded. "There's this boy I know. He's a complete idiot." She felt a little guilty for actually saying that, for some reason. "I mean, I don't know what's going on in that head of his sometimes. He's really frustrating."

"Hmm," the old shopkeeper acknowledged. "Have you known him long?"

"Too long," Katara muttered. "He really…I kind of hated him, for a while. But then he saved my life. After I got separated from my friends, like I told you." The man nodded.

"And after he saved you, you reevaluated your feelings for him?"

"Not at first. But we were sort of stuck together, and a after a while…yeah, I reevaluated my feelings." _I actually kind of cared for him._

"But now he's done something to make you mad?" the man concluded.

Katara gave a bark of laughter. "You know, he was always making me mad. You should see him sometime. It's like he can't make up his mind about anything. The moment I think I have him figured out, he goes and rips my image of him to shreds." She scowled, and quickly put the fancy vase down. Her grip was too hard, and she didn't want to break it. "He drives me crazy," she admitted. "I never thought I could trust him, but I _did_. I thought I could, even though I _knew_ I shouldn't. And then he turned around and proved me wrong. _Again._ "

Finished with organizing the shop, she stopped, and put her hands on her hips.

"You spent a considerable amount of time with this boy," the man noted.

"Nearly a whole month," Katara confirmed.

"That's a lot of time to spend with somebody you don't like," he told her.

"Well, I don't," she snapped, and then she winced. "Sorry, I shouldn't have snapped like that." The old man raised his hand, shaking his head.

"I'm used to it. I remember when my daughter was your age." The old man smiled lightly, distantly, before resuming. "I take it you've separated from this boy, then?"

Katara nodded. "Just a week ago." She frowned. "He did something really stupid. Like, illegal stupid. So we split. I didn't think I'd see him again. I didn't want to see him again. But I did. Right before I came in here."

The old man made an understanding sound. "So that's why you flung the door open so wildly. You came in here to avoid your boy."

"I don't want to talk to him. Ever." It was quiet for a moment before the old man began to laugh, shaking his head. Katara began to feel a bit indignant as he laughed. "What's so funny?"

"You really do remind me of my daughter," the man told her. "In fact, I had a conversation quite similar to this when she was your age."

Katara blinked. "Really?"

"Mmmhmm. She found a boy similar to yours. Drove her crazy. She didn't like him much. He was rude and arrogant. The two of them were taught by the same earthbending master, and they were very competitive. Eventually, their master forbade them from fighting. Their fights got too intense. Not that that stopped them from fighting with words." Katara smiled. It actually did kind of remind her of Zuko and herself, though they bent different elements. "And then our village was attacked. My daughter was knocked unconscious, and was trapped in a burning building. She would have died…but her boy went into the fire, and saved her. Gained a scar for it, too," the man noted. "And nearly lost a hand to the burns. But he survived, and thanks to him, so did my daughter. When she woke up, she was shocked to learn who her savior was. But she was grateful, and she stayed by his side as he slowly healed. She got to know him. Like you got to know your boy."

Katara looked down. "He did save me," she acknowledged. "But he's still…" _Zuko._ "He's a jerk." _Close enough._

The old man laughed. "So was her boy. See, even though they began to get along better, he still had…issues. And that's a nice way of putting it. See, he lost much in the attack. His family, as well as their home. And with him injured as he was, he was put out of work for some time. He turned to thievery. My daughter did not approve."

"Of course she didn't!" Katara blinked. The old man's story really was familiar now.

"One day she was upset, and I asked her about it. What she told me was not so different than what you've told me. Her boy's contradictions frustrated her, too," the shopkeeper told Katara. She nodded. It really was amazing, she thought. Their situations actually were quite similar. "So you can imagine my surprise when they announced their engagement a year later."

"What?!" Katara hadn't seen that coming. "You mean…they got married? But…but, the boy was so obnoxious! And frustrating!" She frowned. "And why would your daughter choose a criminal? Spirits, why would you let your daughter marry a criminal?"

The old man leaned back in his chair, chuckling. "Was a criminal all that boy was? No. My daughter was frustrated, true, but she didn't give up. She had grown to care for him, and when she accepted that, she knew she had to stay with him. She helped him get his life on track. And he listened, because for all his issues, he loved her."

"But that doesn't make any sense," Katara insisted. She crossed her arms. Then, quietly. "So…it all turned out okay, then?"

"I've never seen a happier couple," the old man confirmed. "They were married for nearly thirty years. Death ended the relationship. My daughter…she was not so lucky last year, when the Fire Nation attacked again. And her husband died beside her."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"It is truly painful to live past one's children," the shopkeeper said. "And their son went to war afterwards. Hopefully, he will live to see me buried, see the end of this war, see his own children marry and have children."

Katara smiled sadly. "If it means anything to you, the Avatar has returned. I believe that he can save the world."

The shopkeeper nodded. "I hope I live to see that. It would be nice to die knowing that there will be peace in the world. Perhaps you and your boy will marry in a time of peace."

It took a Katara a moment to process what the old man had just implied. "Whoa, no! He and I, we are NOT going to get married! I don't like him! And he doesn't like me! We are…we are NOT interested in each other that way."

"So the fact that your cheeks turned red is because you aren't interested in him?"

"Yes!" It sounded stupid, and Katara knew it. "Look, we are not together. Maybe I did care about him," she admitted. "But I'm not your daughter, and he isn't your son-in-law. There's nothing between us. Not now, not ever. There's just too much bad blood between us." She frowned. She couldn't exactly explain everything that had happened between her and Zuko. After all, she couldn't tell anyone that a pair of Fire Nation royals was hiding in town. The man's daughter had fought her husband over who was a better bender. Katara and Zuko fought over the fate of the world.

It just wasn't the same.

"Someday I'll find somebody who actually listens to me. Who doesn't ditch me after committing a crime. Someone who's one the same side as me." Katara put away the broom and duster, looking over the shop again. "Is there anything else you need?"

"That's plenty for now," the man said. He sat up, smiling. "Thank you. He reached into his own coin bag, pulling out a gold piece. "Here."

Katara's eyes were wide. "A gold piece?" Nobody had given her that much. "That's too much!"

He raised an eyebrow. "I'm giving you a gold piece, and you're saying no?" He sounded incredulous.

"It wasn't that much work," Katara said.

"It was more than this shop has seen in months. Take the coin, and go find your friends." Katara smiled as she took it.

"Thank you so much."

"Just be careful. And don't forget what I've told you."

Katara left the shop, in a better mood than she'd been when she'd entered it. It had been hours since she'd entered. Perhaps Iroh and Zuko had left?

But no.

And, it seemed they had found some trouble. Of course.

Iroh was singing loudly, hopping his feet frantically as a man swung a pair of sword at them. "What do you think you're doing?!" She shouted at the man. She quickly found a bucket of water, drawing from it and performing a water whip, whacking the brown-haired man on the head. "Leave him alone!" She had half-ran closer, glaring at the man.

"And who do you think you are, to tell me what to do?" He took a step towards her, swords still drawn. She didn't back down. "And what do you care?"

Zuko stood up now, glaring at the man as fiercely as Katara. "Leave her alone," he shouted, fists balled. The man looked back towards him.

"She's certainly got spunk. I actually sort of like it." The man ignored Zuko's growl, looking back to Katara. She narrowed her eyes as she realized what parts of her he was looking at. "Maybe she'd like that gold piece. All I'd like is a bit of entertainment."

Katara's face turned red as she understood what the man was implying. "Get out of here!" she spat. She summoned more water. "And be glad I don't drown you in the street!"

"No need to be so unreasonable," the man said in a falsely reassuring tone. "But you also look like you could use a coin or two…"

"She said no," Zuko growled. His fists were smoking, and Katara knew he was barely refraining from literally breathing fire.

It was not a good situation.

Iroh, as usual, was the one to sort it all out.

"I am sorry, young man," Iroh said to the man with the swords. "But it seems we won't be needing your coin. And miss Katara," he added, steel entering his eyes. "Will not be selling herself."

With the three of them standing against him, and a new crowd of onlookers pointing and whispering in the street, the man shrugged. "Suit yourself. But you won't be getting that gold piece." Katara put the water back where it had come from, glaring at the man as he walked away.

"Katara?" Zuko said her name. She turned around to look at him. He looked much the same as the last time she'd seen him. It had, after all, been only a week. Katara immediately thought of how he'd reacted a few moments ago, nearly firebending, and remembered their last encounter. At once, she glared at him.

"I didn't need you help!" she snapped at him. "I had it under control!"

Zuko's eyes widened as she shouted, apparently surprised by her fury. Then, his eyes narrowed. "Well we didn't need your help!" he fired back. "We were doing fine until you showed up!"

"Fine?" she retorted. "You call your uncle jumping up and down to avoid swords swiping his feet 'fine'?"

"It really wasn't that bad," Iroh told them. Katara and Zuko both turned to glare for a moment.

"This is what I get for helping you. No thanks and plenty of blame!"

Zuko growled, balling his fists again. "You're the one who started this fight! Not me!" He threw his hands up, before walking away, muttering. Katara just watched, arms folded as he stalked off, away from her and Iroh.

"Katara?" Iroh's voice was gentler, and she turned to look at him.

"Hey, Ir-Mushi," she corrected. "Are you okay?"

He nodded, smiling. "I'm fine, thank you. It wasn't so bad, I've certainly encountered worse. Still, what the man said to you was entirely inappropriate."

Katara nodded, suppressing a shiver. "I know there's people out there like that. My brother warned me…a lot, actually. Still, I think this is the first time anyone like that has paid me any attention." It wasn't a good feeling. It felt slimy and degrading.

"I'm sorry this happened," Iroh told her. He smiled. "Although, it is nice to see you again, Katara."

She smiled. "It is nice to see you, too," she admitted. "Even if Zuko is as much of a jerk as ever."

"After what happened at Song's home, I feared that you could be in trouble for what we did. I'm glad to see that you are alright."

"Lucky for me," Katara said, a bit of bitterness in her voice. "Song saw the whole thing. She vouched for me, and her mother was way too kind." Katara and Iroh sat down beside the stolen ostrich-horse. "She helped me find someone willing to give me a ride on their wagon to the next town. I've been working small jobs for coins and rides for the past week." She frowned. "I couldn't believe it when I saw you guys. I honestly didn't think I'd ever see you again."

"Destiny is a funny thing," Iroh told her, smiling.

"You think it's destiny that brought us together?" Katara sounded doubtful, and yet…when she thought about it, it did seem miraculous that she kept being brought onto the same path as Zuko and Iroh. Every time she thought they would separate, something would happen to bring them back together. "Or maybe Ba Sing Se and Omashu take the same roads from where we were at."

Iroh froze for a moment, turning to look at her incredulously. "Omashu? Did you say Omashu?"

Katara froze for a moment, before remembering that they weren't after Aang anymore−or were they? "It's where I was going." She looked down to her lap.

"Is that where the Avatar was going?" Iroh looked stressed.

Katara looked over. "What do you care? You and Zuko aren't after him anymore, right?" she whispered.

Iroh leaned back, shaking his head. "We are not. But if your friends have gone to Omashu, then they have walked into danger."

"What do you mean?" Katara felt dread. Something was wrong, she knew it…

"Omashu has been conquered," Iroh told her grimly. Katara's eyes widened and she felt a little numb. "Word of it has only just reached this town today. If your friends were heading there, then they would have reached a new Fire Nation stronghold, full of soldiers."

Katara looked to her hands. They were trembling. "That…is where they were going. King Bumi was Aang's friend…he was gonna be his earthbending master." There was no point in keeping it secret now. It had been the plan before, but now…

Katara was lost again. She had planned to meet with Aang and Sokka in Omashu, but now that plan was impossible. They wouldn't be in Omashu, she figured. They weren't stupid. Once they knew Omashu was conquered, they would have left. But to where? Aang needed an earthbending master, but where would he go? She didn't know.

She didn't know where to go.

At once, Katara's throat hurt and she bit back a sob. She pulled her knees forward, burying her face. She could feel Iroh's hand on her back, and hear him saying words of comfort. It didn't help much.

She wanted Sokka.

She wanted Aang.

She wanted her family.

Her crying session lasted several minutes, and Zuko didn't come back during that time. She was thankful, she didn't think she could stand to get into another argument at the moment. Not right then.

"What am I going to do?" she asked. She shook her head. "I have no idea how to get back to my friends."

Iroh sat calmly beside her. "I'm sorry that you've been separated from them, Katara. But I do believe that destiny has led you here." Katara looked over to him, sniffling slightly.

"But I don't understand? Why would I be destined to be here with you two?" It didn't really make much sense to her.

Iroh shrugged. "If you believe that you destiny is still with the Avatar−and I actually do believe that, Katara−then perhaps we're you road to them."

Katara blinked, thinking about it. "But if I'm with you and Zuko, and you aren't looking for Aang, and they are looking for any of us, how would I find them?"

Iroh gave her a reassuring smile. "You know, there were times I thought the Avatar may truly never be seen again. Still, the moment Aang returned to the world, I knew my nephew's destiny was entwined with the Avatar's. Not at all unlike yours is. And that destiny is not finished." Iroh spoke with certainty. "I believe that Zuko will meet the Avatar again, somewhere, somehow. And I think you're supposed to be with us when our roads meet again."

Katara smiled now. "I think I understand now. So…I suppose we'll be travelling together again, then?"

Iroh smiled. "I missed your company. I think Zuko did, too, not that he would admit it."

Katara looked away. "I don't particularly want to talk to him," she informed Iroh.

Iroh nodded. "I understand. His actions hurt you."

"I was seriously starting to trust him. I was starting to think I knew him. And then he proved me wrong." She looked over to Iroh. "Seriously, why didn't you stop him? He listens to you."

"Sometimes," Iroh agreed. "But often, he does not. I've known Zuko since he was born. I spent much time with him when he was a child. Of course, I've spent all my time with him for the past three years. I know how to deal with Zuko. There are times in which I must put my foot down. But then, I also know from experience that sometimes, Zuko will not listen. On those occasions, trying to say no will likely accomplish nothing but making him angry."

"So you just sit back and let him do stupid stuff?"

"He learns from the consequences," Iroh told her.

Katara sat back, considering.

After a few minutes, Zuko returned. He stopped as he saw that Katara was still there. Frowning, he came to them. "You're still here," he said bluntly. Katara met his glare with one of her own.

"I'm staying."

"What?! No, you're not."

"Nephew," Iroh interrupted them. "She has just learned of the conquest of Omashu. It's where her friends were going. Now, she has nowhere else to go."

"So we get stuck with her again?"

"She is here as our friend," Iroh insisted. "And I hope you'll treat her as such." Zuko glared at Katara.

"What do you expect me to do? Wander aimlessly around the Earth Kingdom?" she asked sarcastically.

"You aren't our problem."

"Get over yourself," she snapped.

"If the two of you don't want to talk," Iroh said firmly. "Then you don't have to. But Katara is coming with us, and I expect the two of you to be civil to each other." The two teenagers continued glaring at each other for a moment before looking away.

"Fine," Zuko agreed. Katara just nodded. "But this does mean we need more money. It's hard enough to support the two of us, now with _her_ coming along, it'll be even more difficult."

Katara frowned. "I have money," she told them, pulling out her moneybag. "I've got one gold piece, two silver, and two copper."

Iroh grinned. "That can go a long way," he said cheerfully. He picked up his hat on the ground, putting the few copper coins he and Zuko had been given into the moneybag. Zuko looked at her warily.

The three of them used their funds to buy enough food for the day, if somewhat small portions. As night fell, they found a suitable place to sleep.

Unnoticed by Iroh or Katara, Zuko stayed awake. After staying with them for a while, he took out what he had taken earlier. A mask, exactly like the one he had previously used in his outings as the Blue Spirit. He looked to the forms sleeping near him.

Uncle Iroh, who had been there for as long as he could remember, providing love and guidance. Who had trained him, and accompanied him in his banishment.

And Katara. The girl who hated him, despite her previous claims otherwise. She had turned down his offer to come with them before, but now she came back to join them anyways.

It was his duty to make sure they were okay, even if neither would appreciate his help. And though they had a little bit more money with Katara with them, he knew they were lacking. But, he knew, there was plenty around them to be taken. His mind wandered back to the man to had swiped his swords at Uncle Iroh's feet, who had made Katara uncomfortable with his words and eyes.

Those swords weren't the best quality, Zuko observed. But they would do.

 **And here's chapter 13, guys. Hope you liked it.**

 **Few things:**

 **1\. Yes, I know it must seem silly that I broke them up chapter before last, and I've already stuck them back together again. Like, what was the point? Well, for one thing, this is affecting their relationship. If you may have noticed, before they were starting to get along a lot better. Now? Not so much. Chpater 11 kinda punctured the tires of the Zutara bus of this fic.**

 **What I'm basically saying is, they're basically back to the mistrustful/arguing/Iroh-can't-leave-them-alone phase of their relationship.**

 **Sorry about that. I hope you'll still enjoy the next few chapters, despite how long the fic is taking to get to the Zutara part.**

 **Seriously, sorry.**

 **But, if it makes you guys feel better, this is very much one of the biggest speed-bumps in this fic. In a couple chapters, it's officially gonna start getting very Zutarian. :D**

 **I assure you, you'll be seeing some pretty good Zutara. And part 3 will have a lot more.**

 **Also, Taang. Toph is probably gonna be joining Aang and Sokka in the next chapter focused on them. Which means this fic will also start developing Taang.**

 **2\. Ty Lee fic:  
Still taking requests, still got the poll up on my profile.**

 **3\. Pretty please review?**

 **Till next time, guys.**


	14. Part 2 Chapter6:Hair Ties and Compromise

Chapter 14: Hair Ties and Compromise

It was, admittedly, nice to be around Iroh again. The old firebender had a way of making things peaceful, of making people happy. He didn't leave Katara and Zuko alone, but he alternated between them when he talked to them. He had a way of giving people hope. It was certainly something Katara needed, in the situation she was in. It was different than before, when at least she had had some idea where she could find Aang and Sokka. Now, her only hope was that by sticking with Iroh and Zuko, destiny would lead them back to her friends.

She hoped they were okay.

 _If nothing else_ , she noted _, they would certainly be happy to see me when I find them. Unless they just go into shock._ After all, they certainly though she was dead.

Katara, Iroh, and Zuko continued traveling, Iroh determining where to go. Once Katara thought about it, she actually wasn't sure that Zuko even knew where they were going. Iroh had shared his intention to go to Ba Sing Se with her, but had he ever shared that plan with Zuko? Knowing Zuko, he wouldn't be particularly fond of that idea. From what Katara had seen of Zuko, it wasn't in his nature to lie down and hide. He'd rather fight. Not to mention how…permanent Iroh's solution sounded. Go to Ba Sing Se, and wait the war out as refugees. No, Zuko wouldn't like it at all. She supposed Iroh hadn't told Zuko.

In the few days that Katara had been back with the two of them, she and Zuko hadn't talked to one another. Iroh had suggested it, and they were both happy to oblige. They traveled with two on the ostrich horse, switching out with one of them walking beside them. They went at a fairly slow pace, apparently less afraid of being tracked.

"We don't seem to be in immediate danger," Iroh told her one morning. Zuko had left the two, going into a nearby town. "I don't believe that Azula is following us right now."

"You think you've shaken her, then?" Katara asked.

Iroh narrowed his eyes a little, shaking his head. "My niece has always prided herself on being better than anyone else, at anything she does. I believe that she is arrogant, and sometimes overestimates herself, but I'm afraid that she is skillful enough to back up her claims." Iroh shook his head again. "No, I believe that if Azula were focused on us, she would have already found us by now. While this has been good news for us, I fear that something−or someone−else has drawn her attention." Iroh was looking at Katara, and she understood what he was thinking.

"You think she's going after Aang now."

He nodded. "If your friend and your brother went to Omashu and were noticed, then my niece could have taken an interest." He frowned. "I believe the governor Ozai put in charge of Omashu was the father of a friend of Azula's. That may have drawn her there. If they became aware of your friends…"

"They're going after them now." Katara looked away. The good news, she supposed, was that they must not have captured Aang, or they wouldn't still be chasing him. The bad news was, as soon as he didn't have to worry about Zuko anymore, he had to deal with Azula. And as angry as Katara was with Zuko, she still knew that Azula was even worse. "Azula is considered a prodigy at firebending, right? How dangerous is she?"

"She's one of the best firebenders seen in centuries," Iroh told her grimly. "She's already considered a master, and even worse, she has also mastered the rare ability to produce _blue_ fire."

Katara blinked. "Blue fire?" She had never seen that before. She hadn't even heard of that before. "I didn't know firebenders could do that."

"Blue fire burns hotter than normal fire."

"Super-fire then. Great." Katara shook her head. Aang had always managed to beat Zuko, but Azula was sounding even worse. She looked to Iroh, curiosity peaking. "Can you produce blue fire?" From all she'd seen, Iroh was a pretty powerful bender as well, and though she hadn't seen much, the fact that he was the Firelord's brother, and had apparently been legendary as the Dragon of the West, left her certain that he was quite skilled, too. Could he produce blue fire?

Iroh just shrugged. "I've never particularly cared to try, to be honest. Blue fire has more blunt power, true, but it is how you wield fire that make a true master. From what I know, blue fire also takes more energy to produce. It's a powerful technique, true, but its strength is in a quick blast." Iroh put a finger to his chin. "It seems to me that it isn't as practical for a long battle. Using so much energy would eventually wear a bender down, leaving them exhausted. But, a skilled firebender using normal flames could endure, withstanding the raw power of the blue fire. Then, when their opponent is worn out, they would be the one with the advantage."

"So it's not really practical, then?"

"Not for a long battle. And this is why I call Azula arrogant: she doesn't expect people to withstand her. She is enamored with the rare ability she mastered, and proud of how no other living bender can produce it. In her love of her power, she now uses only blue fire."

Katara blinked. "But wouldn't she realize it's a bad idea to fight all the time with it? Like you just said…"

"She is not as adept at assessing people as she thinks she is," Iroh stated bluntly. "She terrorizes her supposed friends, and then convinces herself that they follow her of their own will. She thinks her father values her−Zuko's scar is proof of how little he regards his children. The moment she fails him, he will discard her as well."

"She called me an inferior being," Katara recalled, scowling.

"She has grown so used to being the most powerful fighter in the room that she believes that nobody can defeat her. Instead of walking into a fight certain that she _can_ win, she walks in certain that she _will_ win."

Katara nodded along. It was interesting, really.

"She has another skill that may be even more dangerous, though not as rare. She has the ability to bend lightning." Katara's eyes widened.

"Lightning?! That sounds…really dangerous."

"It is a skill that is rarely used. It has its uses, but frequently, that use is to kill one's opponent. And it is difficult to fight against such a skill."

"No kidding," Katara remarked. "She thought through the elements. An earthbender may be able to pull up a wall, but that would easily be blasted to bits. A waterbender pay also pull up a shield, but she doubted it would word. Airbenders and fire benders wouldn't even be able to make a durable shield. "How do you fight against lightning?"

Iroh grinned. "I actually created a technique." Before he could explain, Zuko walked up to them, back from town, and dropped a couple of large baskets in front of them, both filled with food.

It was undoubtedly more than they could afford. Katara crossed her arms, glaring at Zuko.

"Where did you get these?" Iroh asked him.

"What does it matter where they came from?" Zuko responded. Katara narrowed her eyes. He'd stolen them. Great.

"Mmm!" Iroh had taken a bite out of one anyways.

She let out an indignant sound. "So you're just going to eat stolen food?" Shaking her head, she got up and went to follow Zuko.

She'd been silent for long enough.

She followed him through the forest, finding him by a tree. The trunk was hollow, and it seemed that there was something hidden in there, which Zuko was grabbing.

"You know I really thought you'd have figured it out the first time," she started, surprising Zuko. He quickly shoved whatever he was hiding back into the tree, turning around to glare at Katara. "I don't approve of stealing." She glared at him, crossing her arms.

"What makes you so certain I stole that food?"

"I'm not an idiot, that's what. I know how much money we had, and it wasn't enough to buy that much. And besides, what are you hiding there?"

Zuko looked away for a moment. Then he stepped aside, allowing Katara to walk forward and look into the tree. The first thing she found was a pair of swords. She pulled them out slowly. "You know how to use these?" Zuko gave a terse nod, putting his hand out to take them from her.

Slowly, she handed them to him. "I didn't know you knew how to use swords."

"I started lessons when I was young," he told her. "When I first realized how awful I am at firebending. I thought maybe at least I'd be good at this."

"Are you?" She'd never seen him using swords before. Only firebending.

"I am, actually. I believe I told you before, when I broke the Avatar out after Zhao captured him, I didn't use my firebending."

"So you used these. Huh." She kept looking at the swords. They seemed familiar. "Are those the swords that guy were swiping at your uncle's feet?"

"You can NOT seriously be upset I stole from that guy? He could have hurt my uncle, and he going after you next. It's probably better for everyone that that guy lost his weapons."

To her surprise, Katara found herself agreeing. She shivered as she recalled how that man had looked at her. "I suppose you're right there," she acknowledged. Zuko looked over to her, an expression of surprise on his face.

"You actually agree with me?"

She folded her arms. "Well, that man was a jerk. I suppose if you had to steal from someone, that guy would probably be my pick, too." She went to look at the other contents of the tree, not noticing how Zuko had brightened slightly. She pulled out a mask. It was mostly blue, with a few parts being white. It looked…menacing. "What's with the mask?"

Zuko took that, too. "My face isn't exactly forgettable," he pointed out. Katara looked at him, focusing in on his scar, and then looked away. She remembered how he'd gotten it.

It occurred to her that she had never really talked to him about it.

"At least your…activities won't lead back to us, then," she noted. No firebending, no face. She crossed her arms again as he put the mask on. "So you're just going to go out and steal again?"

Zuko turned back to er, looking at her through the mask. "I thought we were on the same page?" He sounded slightly upset.

"No," she responded, shaking her head. "No, we are NOT on the same page. Just because I agreed that that one guy deserved to have his swords taken, does NOT mean that I approve of you going on a _crime spree_ across the Earth Kingdom!"

Zuko groaned. "Well, what are we supposed to do? Beg? How has that been working?" He took a step forwards. "We can't live like this! Begging for spare coins, hoping we'll get enough for a meal. Not to mention how people treat us! You saw that guy, what he was doing! Why should we have to subject ourselves to that?"

"I'm not saying that you should! Just−"

"And now you're here, too! That's three of us, as well as the ostrich-horse."

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have stolen the ostrich-horse, then!" She glared as him.

He threw his hands up in the air. She couldn't see his expression through the mask, but she could certainly see his anger. He turned away from her. They seemed to be at an impasse.

She could never approve of letting him steal from innocent people who needed food and items, but he seemed deadest on taking what they needed. They could never convince each other to switch their views.

But then…

"What if we compromise?" She said it quietly, mostly to herself as she thought. Zuko looked back to her. Her eyebrows were furrowed, her fingers on her chin.

"What do you mean, 'compromise?'"

"I mean…well, those baskets of food were a bit much, anyways, right? It's too much, it could spoil, and then nobody will have benefitted from it. So…" She continued thinking, trying to find a way to make everyone happy. "How about you just steal money? And then I'll take charge of what we do with it." Zuko folded his arms as he looked at her. "I'm good with money," she defended. "Back when I was with Aang and my brother I was always in charge of funds. I know what we need, and how much we need. So, if you get us money, I'll take care of getting what we need, and only what we need."

Zuko folded his arms. Katara couldn't see his face, of course, but she couldn't help but imagine that he had his eyebrow raised. "That's all? And you're fine with this, then?"

"No," Katara told him. "I'm not fine with this, and that's not all. Look, I admit I stole that scroll from those pirates. But, seriously, what were they going to do with it? They were selling it to some Earth Kingdom noble, someone who couldn't even use it! At least I put it to good use. I don't regret taking it," she admitted. "And I can't say I blame you for taking that jerk's swords. But I absolutely do not approve of you stealing from Song and her mother. They didn't deserve that! They helped you and Iroh. How could you do that to them?" She heard Zuko sigh, shaking his head. He looked away. "If you think you have to steal for us to survive out here−and I still think you're being an idiot, for the record−then I don't want you stealing from people who desperately need that money."

He looked back at her. "So what are you saying?"

"I'm saying I want you to use a bit more judgement when you decide to steal. There are a lot of people out here who are in just as bad a situation as us, or barely better. Please," she stressed the word. "Don't make things harder for these people." She balled her fist as she thought of why many of those people were in such bad situations. She let out her breath, unclenching her fist. As angry as she was at the Fire Nation, picking a fight with Zuko over it wouldn't help anyone. "Find people who have money to spare," she told him. "And leave everyone else alone."

Zuko stared for a moment. "Fine," he agreed. Katara found herself smiling.

The two of them were then alone. It was awkward. Katara had been mad at him ever since Zuko had taken the ostrich-horse. And she hadn't been happy to see him again. And she didn't want to talk to him.

She was sick of thinking she had him figured out, just to have him turn around again.

"Did you eat?" he asked awkwardly.

"I was more preoccupied with you," she told him.

"Oh." They were quiet again, the buzzing of bugs being the only noise. "I'm glad you didn't get in trouble," Zuko said, finally. "After I took the ostrich-horse. Uncle said you could get blamed…I didn't mean to get you in trouble."

She shrugged. "Song saw it all. She backed me up."

"She did?" Zuko seemed to panic for a moment. "You mean…she saw, and she didn't do anything?"

"Like I said, they didn't deserve that. They knew I wasn't part of it, and weren't interested in punishing me for your actions." Zuko looked away again.

"I didn't really want to leave you behind," he told her. She looked away from him.

"I know, I guess. You did ask me to get up on the ostrich-horse with you. But…that was out of line. I didn't want any part of it." She crossed her arms.

"You should get back to uncle," he told her, putting the mask back on.

She nodded. "You had better follow the rules I set," she warned him. "I will NOT be happy if I hear about you robbing random villagers."

He walked off, in search of a target. Katara sighed, shaking her head. She hoped this was a good idea. She hadn't really thought it through. She was just trying to avoid another fight with Zuko, where they'd yell and get nowhere. She was vaguely reminded of when Aang, Sokka, and her had met the two feuding Earth Kingdom tribes. She and Sokka had fought over…what? How to set up tents. All of the fighting served no purpose, dividing the tribes, and setting her against her brother for the most petty of reasons.

Aang was the one to mediate, to balance everyone out.

Katara had tried to channel him to settle the issue with Zuko. She wondered if Aang would approve. Of course, her compromise still involved letting Zuko go off and steal stuff for their own benefit, so perhaps Aang wouldn't approve.

 _Neither would Iroh_ , she thought as she walked back to him.

"Katara," he smiled as she finally returned. "How are you? You were gone for quite a while." He looked her over.

She took a bite of the food Zuko had brought, avoiding Iroh's eyes. "I was just talking to Zuko." She chewed and swallowed, and took another bit. If nothing else, keeping her mouth full kept her from having to elaborate.

Iroh raised an eyebrow. "I didn't think the two of you would avoid talking forever," he admitted. "But I am sort of surprised you've resumed talking so soon. Knowing you two, I thought the two of you would remain angry for quite a while."

She shrugged. "Can't remain angry forever. You know, I used to get mad at my brother a lot. We disagree about a lot of stuff, and he's really immature sometimes. And I always get stuck doing the chores. We'd argue a lot, but I still love him. So even when I do refuse to talk to him, I usually cave pretty quickly." She chewed and swallowed another bite. "Not that I love Zuko."

"Hmm." It hadn't been this awkward between Iroh and Katara since she'd first been on the raft with them.

"I've sorting things out with him, though. So, no more problems. For now, anyways." She took another bite, wondering if Iroh would realize what she and Zuko had agreed to. The old man was perceptive, and he knew Zuko well. Would he believe that he stopped?

"Well," Iroh said. "I'm glad the two of you are getting along again. It was becoming rather stressful being the only one who gets along with everyone." Katara smiled.

* * *

Zuko observed the town from the rooftops, keeping out of sight. He was searching for a target…

He had agreed to Katara's rules, and he intended to follow them. He had hoped she wouldn't notice his activity, but she had. Of course she had. And she had confronted him about it, angry like he figured she would be. They started to fight, again.

And then she decided to compromise. Zuko hadn't been expecting it, and he suspected that Katara had surprised herself with the idea.

He had agreed to her terms. They were a good idea, he felt. And he found that he approved of targeting wealthy people, avoiding people who would be hurt by the loss. It made sense anyways−there'd be more money to take. And, it wouldn't hurt to let her control the money.

 _Certainly better than letting Uncle Iroh control the funds_ , he thought, remembering the shopping spree his uncle had gone on while looking for his lotus tile.

Finally, someone caught his eye. A well-dressed man, carrying an ornate chest. He was getting into a carriage, two guards along with him. Behind his mask, Zuko smirked.

 _Perfect._

* * *

Later in the day, Zuko returned.

"Nephew," Iroh said, offering a smile. "It's about time. I was getting worried."

"I'm fine, Uncle." He walked towards Katara, and sat down. He ate while Iroh spoke for a few minutes.

"I've been telling her about some of our nation's stories. The plays, the legends. I was just about to start telling her about Love Amongst the Dragons, but now that you're here maybe you should tell her about it? I believe you've seen the play more times than I have."

Katara raised an eyebrow. "Really?" she asked, looking to Zuko. "I never pegged you as one to love a romance story so much."

"It was my mother's favorite play," Zuko told her. He looked to the ground. "She insisted on going to watch it every year." Zuko gave a small, wistful smile. "I've practically got it memorized." Katara smiled. Zuko stood up again. "I'll tell you while we go into town," he offered. Katara stood up, realizing that he was asking her to do her part of the deal. Control the funds.

"Sure," she agreed.

Iroh, however, didn't look particularly pleased. "So soon? You only just came back from your walk." He was looking at both of them. Katara was sure she wasn't imagining the suspicion in his eyes.

"I've been in this forest all day," she told him. "A bit of civilization would be nice."

"Hmm." But Iroh let them go.

Before heading towards the village, they stopped at where Zuko hid his mask and swords. Pushing them aside, he pulled out a small, but slightly ornate chest. He opened it, showing it to Katara.

Her mouth dropped.

"Whoa," she said quietly. The chest was filled with gold coins. "I don't think I've ever even seen this much money before."

"You said to target people who could afford to lose some," he reminded her. "The guy I took this from could definitely afford it."

"No kidding," she said. Blinking, she knelt down and took some of the coins, putting them into her moneybag. Despite taking a few coins out, the chest remained just about full. "This should last us a long time," she said. "Honestly, I don't know that you'll even have to take any more." She frowned as she thought of something. She filed the thought away, deciding she'd talk to Zuko about it later. After all, her compromise seemed to be working so far. Maybe she should wait just a little before pushing it further. "Come on."

They walked towards the village. "So…are you actually going to tell me about that play, then?"

Zuko glanced at her. "Do you want me to?"

Katara shrugged. "I'm curious," she admitted. "I grew up in the South Pole. I know all of my tribe's legends, but the rest of the world is pretty unfamiliar to me. And I definitely don't know much about the Fire Nation, since most of my experience with your people has involved them throwing fire at me." Zuko gave a sharp glance towards her. "Your uncle told me about some other Fire Nation legends and plays. A lot of them seem really interesting. I'd love to hear some more."

Zuko awkwardly scratched his head for moment. "Alright…let me see…"

As they walked, he told her about Love Amongst the Dragons. He really must have seen it a lot of times, Katara noted. He told her all about the play, down to every detail, every character. It sounded like an enjoyable play, though Zuko noted that the troupe that performed the play was awful.

"You wouldn't believe how bad the Ember Island Players are," he told her, shaking his head. "You can give them the best story in the world, and they'll still find a way to mess it up."

"They can't be that bad, can they? I mean, your mother must have liked them enough…"

He frowned. "She loved the story so much that even the Ember Island Players couldn't ruin it for her. But, believe me, if there were a better troupe in our vicinity, she'd have probably wanted to go see theirs." Katara smiled. She could actually almost see it. A young, scar-less Zuko and his family going to see a badly performed play. It was hard to imagine them being…functional. She wondered if they really had had normal moments.

They reached the town, and they stopped talking. After all, 'Lee' shouldn't be talking about Fire Nation plays. He turned to her. "There's something I need to get," he told her. "I know you want to be in charge of the money, but there's something I want to get."

Katara frowned. "How much do you need?"

"I don't think it should be too much. Maybe one gold coin?" He looked confused, and scratched his head. "I've never bought this before; I don't know how much it costs."

Katara blinked and raised an eyebrow. "What is you're buying exactly?" But she still handed him a gold coin. Hopefully, whatever it was, it wasn't anything too stupid. After all, they weren't exactly lacking for funds anymore.

Zuko blushed. "It's a surprise," he told her. He quickly walked off, looking around town. Katara raised an eyebrow, hands on her hips.

"A surprise?" she murmured. "Do I even want to know?" She shook her head, moving on to get the things she'd thought of.

* * *

Zuko walked around the shop he had found. It had a lot of girly things in it. Makeup, fancy robes, hair things. Finally, he found what he was after.

Hair ties. He recalled that Katara had previously held her hair back in some elaborate braided style. It was a Water Tribe style, he figured. She had also had her hair formed into some sort of looks in the front. After she had ended up on the raft with him and Uncle Iroh, the loops had quickly come undone, the beads falling out. Her braid, as he recalled, had also come undone after a few days, and her hair had become tangled. When they had finally reached shore, she had her hair trimmed a few inches to remove the tangles. Ever since, her hair had been hanging loose, though he had noticed that she had occasionally tried to braid it or tie it back without any ribbon or strings. It had always come undone fairly quickly.

 _She's probably used to keeping it tied back_ , he reasoned. _Like I was used to keeping part of my head shaved._ So he figured that she would appreciate a new hair tie. It felt sort of weird to be in the store, looking to buy something for a girl. He had never done that before. But he was hoping that it could serve as a peace offering to her. True, they had started talking again, and she didn't seem to be anywhere near as angry as she was before. Still, it all seemed a little fast, and he didn't want her to resume her hatred of him. Girls are crazy, he had said many years ago, and it still seemed to be true.

Katara was baffling. She defied all his expectations, all the time. The fact that she had once again decided to travel with them only added to it. A waterbender who willingly chose to travel beside a pair of firebenders−royal firebenders at that. Zuko recalled how he had overheard Uncle Iroh telling her that he believed that she and he were similar. He hadn't believed it at the time, and neither had Katara if he recalled correctly. But then, he was increasingly realizing that his uncle may have been right. They were both passionate, and stubborn. They were dedicated to their goals, and refused to give up. When they argued, they were nearly reflections of one another. Zuko recalled how they had argued on the night he had taken the ostrich-horse. There was fire in her eyes, just as he was sure there was in his own.

The truth was, he had missed her while she was gone, and now that she was back, he didn't want to spend their time together, whether that be another month or only one more day, fighting.

He hoped a gift would make it easier to talk to her.

There were no blue ribbons, he noted, but there was a brown one. It was almost the color of her hair. He didn't see any beads anywhere, though. He grabbed the ribbon, walking up to the shopkeeper.

"How much for this?" he asked.

"Two silver," she told him.

"Is one gold coin alright?"

The shopkeeper frowned, and went to check to see if she had change. "It'll work," she told him. "Don't you want anything else though? You didn't seriously come here just for a ribbon, did you?"

"Do you have beads?" Zuko asked. "For hair?" Unhelpfully, Zuko put his hands to his head, curling his index fingers downward, trying to imitate Katara's hair loopies.

"Put your fingers down," the woman said. "You're making yourself look like a fool." Zuko quickly put his hands down, glaring. "We don't sell beads here, sorry."

"Fine," Zuko muttered. "Just the ribbon, then." He exchanged the gold coin for the ribbon, as well as a few silver coins. He left the shop. It was almost nighttime. He blinked. He hadn't realized how long he had been in there, searching for the ribbon.

"Lee!" He turned around to see Katara. "Did you get what you wanted?" she asked.

"It was more trouble than I thought it would be," he grumbled. "Did you get what we need?"

She nodded. "And we've got some money left over." She smiled, looking hopefully at him. "Actually, I was hoping we could give that away? To people who need it, I mean."

"What?!" Zuko looked at her. "But what if we need it later?"

"We still have plenty," she pointed out. "That chest should last quite a while, even if we do give some away. And if we do run out, it's not like we can't get more. This way, not only will we benefit, but so will some other people in need." She bit her lip. "It would make me feel better about all this…"

Zuko looked at her as she said that. He _had_ been trying to patch things up, after all. The gift idea was barely panning out, so perhaps going along with this would appease her?

"Alright," he agreed, folding his arms. "You can give what we have left over away."

Katara grinned, and dragged him off to start giving coins to people who seemed to need them. Zuko blushed as her hand grasped his. He felt vaguely strange as he saw her smile.

They spent an additional hour walking around town, giving coins to a variety of people, many of whom were clearly poor. Some were refugees. Katara was the one picking who to give the coins to, but Zuko also noticed the people he had taken the food from earlier. He felt a stirring of guilt, and quietly pointed them out to Katara. They followed the couple home, and pushed several gold coins under their door.

It was nighttime when they finally began walking back from the town. Katara seemed to be in a much better mood than she had been in the beginning of the day, and she even talked to him, smiling as she spoke of the people who'd she had given money to.

It was as good a time as any to give her the gift, he supposed.

"About what I wanted to buy earlier," he began awkwardly. "It wasn't really important or anything…"

"What is it?"

"It was, well, actually it was for you. If you want it, mean. If you don't like it I can just…I don't know…" He pulled the ribbon out, offering it to Katara. "Look, I know we aren't exactly friends, but…I don't want to be fighting with you while you're here. So I was thinking maybe this could be a peace offering?"

Katara's eyes widened. "You bought this for me?" She took the offered ribbon.

"You used to wear your hair back, but you lost your beads and your hair tie…I figured maybe I could replace them. But the shop didn't have any beads, so I just got this ribbon…"

"Thank you." Katara said, offering a smile. It was dark, but Zuko could almost swear that she was blushing. "It's more than what I had. Thanks, Zuko."

There was that feeling again. "You're welcome." It was awkward for a moment. He cleared his throat. "I guess…we should get back to Uncle, then."

"Right," Katara quickly agreed. "He's probably worried about us."

They continued walking.

* * *

Iroh wasn't there when they reached their campsite. It made Katara worried, but Zuko assured her that Iroh knew what he was doing.

"He already poisoned himself once," she pointed out.

"Well that was tea," Zuko told her. "Usually he has more sense." He scowled. "He's been here all day, too. He probably wanted to get out for a bit."

"You don't think he went to town to look for us, do you?"

"If he did, once he realizes we're not there, he'll come back."

So the two of them waited. Katara took the silence as an opportunity to do her hair, using the ribbon Zuko had bought her. It really was a nice gesture, she noted. She found that she appreciated it. It didn't absolve him of stealing the ostrich-horse, or his more recent thefts. But then, as long as he played by her rules, he wouldn't really be hurting anyone who needed the money. He even went along with her idea of giving some of the money out to others. She smiled as she recalled how he had pointed out the couple he had stolen the food from. As much as his contradictions frustrated her, it was moments like these in which she found that she didn't mind being with him. She could almost call him a friend on days like this. She fiddled with her hair, trying to decide what to do with it. She had no beads, no pins, and her hair was a little shorter than it had been. Her usual style wouldn't be feasible. Messing around, eventually she just pulled most of her hair back into a low ponytail. She loosened two strands of hair, one on each side; so that they would hang by her face a bit, before reaching the hair tie. They weren't quite like her usual hair loopies, but they were fairly close. She wasn't sure how it looked. It was dark and there was no mirror. And there was no way she was going to ask Zuko what he thought of her hairstyle.

Iroh finally arrived, walking into the camp, by the fire. He looked at the two of them, and at the few things Katara had bought. He turned over to look at Katara. He raised an eyebrow, and Katara couldn't help but feel that he was disappointed in them.

"I see you bought us a few more supplies." He picked up the bandaging cloths that Katara had bought. "I hope we won't have need for this." He looked back to Katara. "You also bought a new hair tie."

"Zuko did," she said. "It was a peace offering."

Zuko sat, brooding. He still didn't speak.

"I understand that we may need these things," Iroh said. "But where did you get the money?" It was like a stone dropped. Katara's face faltered, and she looked to Zuko.

It occurred to her that the tree they had the chest and Zuko's stuff hidden in wasn't that hard to find. It was almost right next to their campsite.

Had Iroh found it? Was that where he had been?

She should have known they couldn't keep this from him.

Iroh sighed, shaking his head. "Katara, if you please, I need to speak with my nephew. Alone." She frowned.

"I let him do it," she said.

"But it was his idea." Katara gave a glance to Zuko, who avoided her gaze. She stepped out of the campsite, walking away to give them the space Iroh had asked for.

What had she been thinking? She should have known this was all a bad idea. She had been enamored with the idea of peace between her and Zuko, she realized. Her compromise hadn't solved the problem. And, as she had feared, Iroh had figured it out, nearly immediately. And he was disappointed, just as she knew he would be. He had easily identified Zuko as the one who had begun the stealing, and he was confronting him about it now. But Katara just knew that he was disappointed in her as well, and that hurt. She had grown close to Iroh over the weeks. He had been the mediator on the raft, offering her comfort and company when she had never been lonelier. He had protected her when they came ashore, and offered her information and guidance. Truthfully, he had filled a position held previously by Pakku, by Gran-Gran. Her relationship with Zuko was…complicated, but Iroh felt almost like family.

It hurt to know that she had let him down.

She had walked over to where their things were hidden. The chest of gold was gone. Iroh had probably done his best to return it to its original owner, she supposed. The mask and swords, however, were still there.

She felt like kicking herself.

 _You'd think I'd have learned after the pirates_ , she thought.

After a few more minutes, she decided to head back to see if they were done yet. Zuko wasn't there, she immediately noticed. Iroh was sitting alone, looking to the campfire.

"Hey," she said quietly, awkwardly. "Look, I'm really sorry about all of this." She was looking down, holding her wrist. "I knew immediately that he'd stolen the food earlier. So I went and confronted him about it…"

"And decided to allow him to continue?" Iroh's voice was as kind as ever. It actually made Katara feel even guiltier.

"I thought we could compromise," she told him. "I controlled the money. I only bought what we need. And he would only rob the wealthy."

"And di that stop it from being a crime? Did it change the fact that Zuko was going up and taking that which didn't belong to him?"

"No," Katara said softly. She kicked a foot against the ground. "I just thought that maybe if we worked out a compromise, then we could get along again. I missed it," she admitted. "But you're right. We shouldn't be stealing, and I shouldn't have let him continue." She sighed. "I'm just as much a thief, too. I used the money, after all. I'm sorry."

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," Iroh said. He was still calm. "Come, sit with me." She sat down across from him. "I'll admit," he started. "I wasn't expecting this from you. I thought you had better judgment than this." She looked down. "But perhaps I shouldn't be so surprised. I do recall an incident involving pirates."

"I really should've learned my lesson then, shouldn't I?"

"I said Zuko learns from consequences. I never said he learned the first time. Sometimes, we do make mistakes twice. Of course, I should hope there wouldn't be a third time." He was looking at her. She nodded.

"It won't happen again," she promised. "Lesson learned." She frowned. "What about Zuko? Did he promise not to do this anymore?"

Iroh looked troubled. "My nephew is going through a hard time," he told her. "Bad enough when he was just banished. Now he has been labelled a traitor. All he had, gone. I'm afraid he isn't adapting well."

"Will he be okay?"

"In time," Iroh said. "But I don't know what it will take for him to find his path again."

"Guess my compromise wasn't exactly helping," she muttered.

"That wasn't the best idea," Iroh agreed. "But I do believe you are helping him, more than you realize."

She looked over to him. "You think so?"

"Sure. I know he care about you. You have the hair tie to prove it."

Katara gave a small smile. "I did convince him to give some of the money to others who need it."

Iroh smiled. "It is a good use for the money," he agreed. "If you weren't here, I fear Zuko would have indulged in a bit more senseless spending." He chuckled. "I suppose my own spending habits may have rubbed off on him."

"You can't be that bad," she denied.

"Oh, no." He grinned. "Did Zuko ever tell you about the time I lost my white lotus tile?"

Katara blinked. "No…"

He recounted the story, down to where Zuko had tossed the tile away at the end. He told her about several other occasions when he had gone on particularly large shopping sprees. She laughed at his more bizarre stories.

Before long, she fell asleep.

Zuko still hadn't returned.

* * *

Morning came, and Katara woke up wearily. She had been up fairly late. Iroh was working to prepare breakfast with what they had, and she quickly set herself to help. She saw Zuko coming back. _Was he seriously gone all night?_

"Zuko?"

He paid her a quick glance, but he quickly focused his attention on Uncle Iroh. "Uncle. I thought a lot about what you said."

"You did? Good!" Iroh seemed surprised.

"It's helped me realize something," Zuko continued. "We no longer have anything to gain by traveling together."

"What?!" Katara dropped what she was holding, staring at Zuko in surprise. _He can't be serious…_ "You aren't seriously talking about leaving us?" She shot a look to Iroh, who looked resigned. She looked back to Zuko. "You can't leave Uncle Iroh." She shook her head.

"I have to do this," he told Katara firmly. He wasn't angry. He wasn't shouting. He looked back to his uncle again. "I need to find my own way."

Katara glanced at Iroh again as Zuko picked up a pack of supplies. Katara frowned, and then began following Zuko.

"You can't just leave like this," she insisted. She shook her head as he looked back.

"Katara, my destiny is not here."

"How do you know where your destiny is?" she fired back. "What makes you so sure it isn't here? With Uncle Iroh? With me?" She hadn't even thought before adding that last one in. She started blushing. "I thought we could be friends," she told him. "I thought you wanted to be friends. But now you're just gonna leave again?! Why is it every time I think we could be friends, you leave me behind?"

"This isn't about you!" Zuko snapped. He was quiet for a moment as Katara glared. "I don't want to leave you behind."

"Then don't!"

He hesitated for a moment.

Iroh walked up, pulling the ostrich-horse behind him. He handed the reins over to Zuko as Katara stared in shock.

"Are kidding me?" she asked him. "It's like you want him to leave!" Which Katara was certain wasn't really the case at all.

"Katara," Iroh shook his head. "This is his choice. Not ours." Katara's mouth dropped as she stared for a moment. She looked back to Zuko, who looked back at them. He looked sadly at Uncle Iroh, and then looked to Katara. She met his eyes, arms folded. He like he wanted to say something for a moment, but then he turned his head, and had the Ostrich-horse start running.

Katara waited for a few moments before rounding on Iroh. "What was that for? Why didn't you try to stop him? And why in the world would you give him the ostrich-horse? Who knows where he's going? Does he even have any idea where he's going?! Did he take enough food? What if Azula finds him?" Katara's mind briefly ran through all the things that could happen to Zuko. He was, after all, Zuko. If trouble didn't find him, then he would find it. She could feel tears forming, and did her best to pretend they weren't. After all, she couldn't possibly be crying over somebody she was mad at just twenty four hours earlier.

"Katara," Iroh said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I could not have dissuaded him on this. Neither could you."

"You didn't try," she protested.

"It wouldn't have worked. He is troubled; he believes that he needs to find his own path. Right now, the best we can do is let him."

"But what if he gets into trouble?"

Iroh gave a small smile. "That is why I gave him the ostrich-horse." He pointed to the ground. "Much easier to track than on teenage boy." The ostrich-horse's track were decently deep and unique. Katara slowly smiled.

"We're going to follow him, then?"

"I admit, I'm not ready to let him go off on his own just yet," Iroh admitted. "Especially with his sister after us. I don't intend on letting Zuko get into more trouble than he can handle."

"Neither do I," Katara agreed. "I suppose we should pack up camp."

Iroh nodded. "We'll let him keep a decent lead, but we should remain close enough behind him that we can intervene if necessary."

With a stone in her heart, Katara help Iroh pack up camp, preparing to follow Zuko. It had been a hectic day. With her angry at Zuko, then compromising, and then talking again. More than ever, she had begun to feel like they were friends.

And then he left again.

It actually hurt to think about how he had left again.

 _But_ , she decided as she and Iroh began following the tracks, _we'll see each other again. And so help me, he had better not find another excuse to run off._

 **Another long chapter. I hope you guys liked it.**

 **I'll be honest, I'm not so sure about this chapter. There are parts I like, then there are part's I'm kinda like ehhhh. I'd really appreciate your thoughts on this one. I'm thinking when I'm done with part 2, this chapter is gonna be one of the ones that gets a bit of a makeover.**

 **1\. Yes. Yes, I did separate them, reunite them, and then separate them AGAIN in the span of four chapters. Hopefully it doesn't bug you too much, because I am trying to keep their actions reasonable for their relationship, and in character.**

 **Obviously, we are officially starting to get into the Zutara here. Until he went and left again.**

 **(It won't be long at all before they get back together, promise!)**

 **And for the record, this isn't even close to the weirdest thing I've done in a fanfic before. :P**

 **2\. Part 2. I'm thinking it's gonna end in 3-5 more chapters. Depending how long they end up being. This chapter was originally in the last chapter. But that would be silly anyways, even worse than reuniting them and separating them in two chapters. Ha! Just imagine if I had done that in only one chapter.**

 **3\. Seriously. Sorry about breaking them up again. :D**

 **3\. Look, I know this fic is pretty slow going. 60000 words in, and the Zutara is basically just starting. And part 2 has had a lot of rehashing of canon. Not to mention breaking Zuko and Katara up, twice.**

 **Part 3, in my opinion, is when things really start getting good. So, if you've lost interest in my fic, maybe hold out till then to give up on it?**

 **5\. The hair tie. Tried to make a sweet scene of Zuko trying to make up for chapter 11. You know, I debated myself for a long time about when to do this scene. I figured it would either be now, or it would be later, in the middle of part 3. Ultimately, I decided that it makes more sense here. 1. to get the Zutara going a little more, and 2. Part 3 has a LOT going on. Trying to cram this in there just wouldn't be doable.**

 **Any thing else? Not that I can remember.**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this, even if this chapter wasn't as hot as good as some of the others.**

 **(Please don't throw rotten tomatoes at me for splitting them up again...)**


	15. Part 2 Chapter 7: The Girl and The Cage

Chapter 13: The Girl in the Cage

After getting out of the swamp, Aang and Sokka had continued traveling through the Earth Kingdom. Aang still needed an earthbending master, though they didn't know where they would find him one.

They certainly hadn't found anything useful in Chin village.

They left that town quickly, with Sokka declaring that it was the worst town they had ever visited. Aang couldn't disagree.

From there, they made their way to Gaoling. It was a larger town, with many shops and markets. Aang sat on the ground as Sokka debated with himself over whether or not to buy a new bag. Finally, Sokka decided to buy the bag.

As they were walking in the street, a man came up close to them, holding several flyers. "Hey! You kids like earthbending? You like throwing rocks? Then check out Master Yu's Earthbending Academy!" He grinned, handing Aang a flyer. Aang looked over the flyer as Sokka looked over his shoulder.

"There's a coupon on the back," Aang noted. "The first lesson is free!"

Sokka shrugged. "Well, how could we say no to free stuff?"

* * *

A few hours later, Aang stood in the academy, wearing a green uniform provided. Aang awkwardly picked in his ear. Most of his classmates were younger than him.

"Take your stances!" Yu ordered, and all the students besides Aang did. "Now strike as though you're punching through your opponent's head!" Once again, the students complied, and Aang's eyes widened as a large stone was flung into him, pushing him several feet back and into a nearby box. Aang was rendered speechless as the air was knocked out of him. "So," Yu started, walking over to Aang. "Are you ready to commit to more lessons? If you pay for the whole year in advance, I'll bump you up to the next belt!"

Definitely not what Aang was looking for.

Aang walked out of the class, feeling exasperated. Once again, he had no clue where to find an earthbending master. Bumi couldn't teach him, and Yu was more interested in money that actually teaching. So where was he supposed to find one to teach him? One who 'waits and listens'?

"He's not the one," he told Sokka.

"I think The Boulder is going to win back the belt of Earth Rumble Six," he heard one student saying as he walked out.

"He's gonna have to fight his way through the best earthbenders in the world to even get a shot at the champ," another student said. Aang grinned. _Best earthbenders in the world, huh? Maybe one of them could be the one I'm looking for!_

"Excuse me, but where is this earthbending tournament exactly?"

"It's on the island of nunya," the first student said, giving a nasty smirk. "Nunya business!" They walked off, laughing. Sokka was also laughing.

"I've got to remember that one," he said. Aang gave him a look, and Sokka quickly stopped. "Right. Um." He stopped, scratching his head. "You know, we could always just follow them."

"Like stalkers?"

"No! Like…people who happen to be going the same place until we get to the right place?"

* * *

They followed the two boys, keeping at a distance in which they could see them. Finally, nearing night, they saw the boys leaving the town. They went into a nearby mountain. Aang and Sokka followed them in.

The stadium was actually huge. There was a large platform in the middle. This, Aang figured, must be where the earthbenders fight.

"Hey," Aang said as they found their seats. "Front row seats! I wonder why no one else is sitting here?" They really were the only ones sitting there. It felt a little strange, actually. Why wouldn't anyone else want to sit this close? They had a perfect view, after all.

His question was answered by a giant boulder that crashed right next to them. Sokka's jaw dropped as he looked at the boulder, which had missed him by a matter of inches. "I guess that's why," he stated.

Cheers erupted around the stadium, and Sokka and Aang turned to look. They saw one man coming up, rising on a sphere in the center of the stadium. Then, he pushed it down. "Welcome, to Earth Rumble Six!" he shouted. "I am your host, Xin Fu! The rules are simple! Just knock the other guy out of the ring, and you win!" He hopped up, out of the ring. "Round one! The Boulder versus the big bad Hippo!"

The Hippo let out a roar, showing that he had very few teeth. The Boulder went up to him. "Listen up, Hippo, you may be big, but you ain't bad! The Boulder is going to win this, in a landslide!" As he spoke, The Boulder made numerous exaggerated expressions and gestures.

"Hippo MAD!" The fight began, and was over fairly quickly.

"The Boulder wins!" He seemed to be fairly skilled, Aang supposed. But Aang felt certain that The Boulder was not the master he was looking for. _Bumi said I need to find someone who listens to the earth. This guy is just listening to his big muscles._ And asked Sokka what he thought, but Sokka was clearly more into watching the matches than finding Aang a master. For a moment, Aang considered pointing out why they were there, but then he smiled, and decided to let Sokka have his fun. It had been too long since they'd relaxed and enjoyed themselves, since Katara had passed. If Sokka was enjoying the match, then good for him.

"Next match: The Boulder versus Fire Nation Man!" _Seriously?_ True enough, the next man to walk into the ring had his hair done up in a Fire Nation top knot, was wearing their colors, and was even waving their flag. Unsurprisingly, boos rang out around the stadium. He even started to sing the Fire Nation's anthem.

"Go back to the Fire Nation!" Sokka shouted.

Fire Nation Man was quickly defeated by The Boulder, and was flung out of the ring. He landed right next to Aang and Sokka, where the large stone had landed previously.

The next few matches continued much the same, with numerous earthbenders fighting The Boulder, only to be defeated relatively quickly. Aang wasn't entirely sure if it was because The Boulder was a better earthbender than he had initially thought, or if these other guys were just…not so good.

Either way, The Boulder made it to the final round. "Now," Xin Fu announced. "The moment you've all been waiting for. The Boulder versus your champion, The Blind Bandit!" The crowd cheered, and there were two women besides the champion.

The champion wasn't anything like what Aang had come to expect, though. Instead of being another buff adult man, the champion was…his age, he figured by her height. And a girl, too. She was certainly much shorter than the two women accompanying her. She was pale, and had black hair put up into a bun. There was a fringe of hair that fell over her eyes, and for a moment Aang questioned how well she could see through it…then he remembered her title. The Blind Bandit. Is she really blind? As the two women took the belt and her cape, Aang concentrated on her eyes.

"She really is blind," he realized.

"I think she's going down!" Sokka proclaimed.

Aang watched. He had a feeling…and that girl looked familiar.

"The Boulder feels conflicted about fighting a young, blind girl," The Boulder declared.

The Blind Bandit, however, grinned. "Sounds to me, like you're scared, Boulder!" He voice also sounded vaguely familiar.

"The Boulder is over his conflicted feelings, and now he's ready to bury you in a rockalanche."

"Whenever you're ready, The Pebble!" She laughed. And Aang's eyes widened as he recognized her. _She's the girl from the swamp!_ The finely dressed girl he had chased around, who had laughed as she ran.

It was her.

He watched closely. Destiny had led him to her, he was sure of it. She waited calmly for The Boulder to make the first move. Aang watched in astonishment as she moved the ground, sabotaging his move. With him down, legs spread out uncomfortable, The Blind Bandit quickly knocked him out of the ring.

"Your winner, and still the champion: THE BLIND BANDIT!" She was holding a fist into the air, and Aang felt entranced. She was the one he'd been looking for, he was absolutely sure of it now. He was smiling as he stared. _She waited, and listened. Just like Bumi said._ Xin Fu leapt down into the ring. "To make things a little more interesting, I'm offering up this sack of gold pieces to anyone who can defeat The Blind Bandit!" The stadium was silent. "What? Nobody dares to face her?"

"I will!" Aang volunteered. If nothing else, at least he'd be close enough to talk to her. And he _had_ to talk to her.

He walked onto the ring. "Go Aang!" he heard Sokka shouting. "Avenge The Boulder!"

Now Aang was close, he could see The Blind Bandit more closely. She was definitely his age, give or take a year. And ignore the century in the iceberg, of course. Her eyes were clouded over, making them look a cloudy green-grey. If she weren't blind, Aang imagined that her eyes would be a very vibrant light green. Like the new leaves growing in spring.

"Do people really want to see two little girls fighting out here?" Aang decided to ignore the insult.

"I don't really want to fight you," he told her. "I just want to talk to you."

She still wanted to fight, though. She launched up the ground he was standing on, but he just floated over a few feet. "Somebody's really light on his feet. What's your fighting name, The Fancy Dancer?" Aang just grinned and shrugged. Once again, he was launched in the air, and once again, he just floated around. "Where'd you go?"

Finally, he landed behind her. "Please, wait!"

"There you are!" She launched a boulder at him, and Aang reacted. He bent a gust of air towards her stone, blowing it, and also her, out of the ring.

Oops.

The crowd erupted in cheers, but Aang ran out of the ring, chasing the girl who he was certain was supposed to teach him earthbending. "Please, listen! I need an earthbending teacher and I think it's supposed to be you!"

"Whoever you are, just leave me alone." Aang winced. For all that she seemed to like to mess with people, with was the first time she seemed to genuinely be upset. She opened up a hole in the stadium, walking through it.

"Wait!" She closed it, leaving him.

 _Great. Good job, Aang_ , he thought to himself.

He glumly returned to the ring, where Sokka grabbed the bag of gold and the belt. "Way to go, Champ!" Sokka congratulated him. Aang just dragged him out of the stadium.

"That girl is supposed to be my earthbending master," Aang told him. "And now she doesn't want to have anything to do with me."

Sokka blinked. "You think so? I mean, are you sure it has to be her?"

Aang nodded. "You saw how good she is," he pointed out. "And she did what Bumi said. She waited and listened. Also, remember my vision in the swamp?"

"With Katara?"

"No, the other girl. The girl I didn't know. It's her, Sokka." Aang smiled. "It's meant to be."

Sokka crossed his arms. "Fine. But how do we find her?"

"I was kinda hoping you'd have an idea?"

Sokka thought for a moment. "We have gold," he noted. "If we ask around town, going off of what we know about her, and your vision, it should be easy enough to get someone to tell us what we need."

Aang nodded. "I must have seen her how she normally looks. I mean, she's not the Blind Bandit all the time…her clothes were really nice, she must come from a fairly wealthy family. And she had a pet flying boar. That can't be too common," he recalled. "Someone's got to know her."

* * *

Toph liked spending time in the garden. It wasn't the flowers or the plants. She'd been told that they were pretty, but that never meant much to her. After all, pretty pink flowers is pretty meaningless when you don't actually know what pink is. But the garden was, at least, outside of the main house. It was as far as Toph was allowed to go. It was still a cage, but at least there was a little more freedom outside than inside. Here, at least, she could feel the earth beneath her feet, and hear some outside sounds. It was nothing close to the freedom she experienced on her escapades to the town, to the Earth Rumble Six, but it could do during the day. She came out often, still dressed in the dresses her mother chose. The garden was, at least, a nice place to think.

She hadn't been expecting last night. She was the best earthbender she knew of, taught by the badger-moles themselves. Master Yu kept her on the basics; he had no idea that she had long since surpassed him.

And the guys in the Earth Rumble weren't any better. Toph had easily gone through them the last year. And she had easily pummeled The Boulder this year. She won.

And then that boy showed up.

From the moment he walked onto the ring, Toph had known there was something off about him. His steps were light, lighter than any she'd felt before. And whenever she had tried to push him out of the ring, he had disappeared from her senses, before suddenly, lightly returning to the ground. That was why she had found herself calling him Twinkletoes. After all, it wasn't as though she had any other name for him.

And then he had blasted her out of the ring. But it wasn't with the earth, she was sure of it.

And, to top it off, he wanted to talk to her. He said that was why he came out there.

He said he wanted her to teach him earthbending.

She wasn't sure what to think of the whole experience. Frankly, she was almost wondering if she'd wake up and realize it was all a dream, because the whole experience was just so strange…

She felt him again, in the garden. _Seriously? He can't want to talk to me that much!_

But he was there, along with someone else. This person was older, taller. His footsteps weren't weird like Twinkletoes'. Shaking her head, Toph launched the two of them up in the air, and she heard their surprised shouts as the landed in the bushes. She walked over to them.

"What're you doing here, Twinkletoes?"

"How'd you know it was me?" he asked.

"Don't answer to Twinkletoes!" said the new guy. His voice was a little deeper, a little older, but Toph could vaguely hear a crack in it. "It's not manly!"

Toph ignored him. "How did you find me?" She didn't think anyone would trace The Blind Bandit back to Toph Beifong. To her understanding, her parents did their best to pretend she didn't exist. Nobody had seen her as Toph, and she certainly hadn't gone around advertising her alter ego.

How did Twinkletoes find her?

"Well," Twinkletoes said. "A crazy king said I had to find an earthbender who listens to the earth." _What?_ "And then I had a vision in a magic swamp…" Toph raised an eyebrow. _Vision?_ It all sounded crazy.

"You sound crazy," she told him plainly.

"I'm the Avatar," Twinkletoes told her. That explained how he beat her, she supposed. Airbending. And it was probably also why he felt so weird. "I need to master earthbending to fight the Firelord."

This was going far enough. "Not my problem. Now get out of here, or I'll call the guards."

"Look," the other guy said. "We all have to do our part to win this war. And yours is to teach Aang earthbending."

They really weren't gonna let it go, were they?

"Guards! Guards, help!" She felt the two boys scramble to get out of the garden before the guards arrived.

"Toph! What happened?"

"I thought I heard someone," she said, imitating the fragile little girl her parents thought she was. "I got scared."

"You know your father doesn't want you wandering the grounds without supervision, Toph." The guards led her away.

* * *

An hour later, she sat in a chair as her parents discussed her earthbending progress with Master Yu.

"I'm pleased to hear that Toph's private lessons are going well," her father said. "But I want to be sure she's not trying anything too dangerous."

"Absolutely not," Yu verified. "I'm keeping her at the beginner's level. Basic forms and breathing exercises only." Toph blankly sat, feeling increasingly annoyed.

She was a better earthbender than Yu. And her parents' overprotectiveness had become more and more annoying over the past year.

She was sick of playing helpless.

 _The Avatar asked me to teach him earthbending_ , she thought. It was so sudden, and she said no, but it was…flattering.

"Excuse me sir," a servant said. "But you have a visitor."

"Who thinks they are so important that they can come into my home unannounced?!"

"Uh, the Avatar, sir." Toph's eyes widened.

 _How many times do I have to say no?_

She blew at her bangs.

* * *

The Avatar, Aang, and his friend, Sokka, had dinner with her and her family, along with master Yu.

Toph didn't need to touch the ground to know that Sokka was eagerly consuming the food. She could hear that. That was sort of funny, and Toph couldn't help but appreciate it a bit. Her parents were so obsessed with rules, and proper behavior and here came a stranger, who apparently couldn't care less about eating etiquette. A servant set down a bowl in front of Toph.

"Blow on it," her father ordered. "It's too hot for her."

"Allow me," Aang said, sending a bit of air to cool down her bowl. What was he playing at? Several people clapped.

"Avatar Aang," he mother said. "It's an honor to have you visit us." _You probably wouldn't be so happy, if you knew he's here for me_ , Toph thought.

"In your opinion, how much longer do you think the war will last?" her father asked Aang.

"I'd like to defeat the Firelord by the end of summer. But I can't do that without finding an earthbending teacher, first." She knew Aang was looking to her, and she made a face. Why was he so set on her? True, she was awesome, but it wasn't like she was the only earthbender in the world. Why couldn't he go find someone else?

"Well, Master Yu is the finest teacher in the land! He's been teaching Toph since she was little." _Teaching me a whole bunch of nothing._ She supposed she agreed with Aang on this. Yu was a lousy teacher.

"Then she must be a great earthbender!" Toph felt a mixture of pride and annoyance. Pride, because it was nice to have someone appreciating her skills. But also annoyance, because if he kept this up, Twinkletoes was going to blow her cover.

Her parents would crack down, and restrict her even more.

"Probably good enough to teach someone else!" the Avatar continued. Toph sent a bit of earth to knock into him under the table. "Ow!" He was knocked in the air for a moment. She felt her father looking between them.

Toph just smiled, calmly eating.

"Toph is still learning the basics," Yu said.

"Yes, and sadly, because of her blindness, I don't think she will ever be able to become a true master."

"Oh, I'm sure she's better than you think she is," Twinkletoes said.

Toph used her earthbending to make his face go into his bowl.

She took another bite.

What happened next was that she heard him sneeze−and heard and felt all of the plates and bowls blow away.

"What's your problem?!" she finally snapped, standing up.

"What's your problem?!" he fired back. She felt her father looking back and forth between them.

"Shall we move to the living room for dessert, then?" her mother suggested.

* * *

A couple hours later, she was supposed to be in bed. Aang and Sokka had decided to stay the night. Undoubtedly, they still wanted to try to pressure her to teach Aang.

By this point, she figured they should have a truce. Aang was sort of annoying, given how he was almost giving away her alter ego to her father, but he was also sort of fun. She'd never had the chance to interact with anyone else her age before, and looking back, their fight at the dinner table was actually kind of cool. She'd never done that before. Plus, who didn't want to talk to the Avatar?

And, frankly, she did have questions.

Walking into the guest room, she felt him take a position, ready to fight.

"Relax," she told him. "Look, I'm sorry about dinner. Let's call a truce, okay?" She felt him relaxing.

"Right." She felt him scratching his head. "I'm sorry about that, too. Can we talk?"

"Sure. Mind if we do it outside?" If he seriously wanted her to teach him earthbending, then it wasn't a conversation she wanted anyone overhearing.

"Outside's great." They walked out, leaving Sokka to sleep.

"So…could you run it by me again why you want me to teach you earthbending? You kind of sounded like a lunatic the first time."

"Heh. Sorry. Okay, long story short, I originally wanted King Bumi of Omashu to teach me. But Omashu was conquered, and he stayed to try to take back his city. He told me to find somebody who waits and listens to be my master."

"And I'm it?" Toph asked. It was accurate, she supposed. "I can't be the only earthbender in the world who waits and listens."

"I suppose," Aang acknowledged. "But I also had a vision of you, in a swamp."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"It's complicated. This swamp had a lot of spiritual energy in it. So…like, time is an illusion. Sokka and I both saw people we've lost. But I also saw you, even though I only just met you now. And that vision helped me find you!"

"It did?" She could feel him nodding.

"I saw a flying boar with you in the vision."

"My family's symbol. So that's how you found me." There was one question answered, at least.

"I think it's destiny," Aang told her. "Everything has led me to you, and you're…well, you've got to be one of the best earthbenders in the world, despite what your parents think."

Toph grinned. "I know. But seriously, it is nice to be acknowledged." She laughed. "The Avatar seeking me out to teach him. Never mind Earth Rumble−this is definitely a better achievement."

"Soo…you'll teach me then?" She could hear his hope.

"Not so fast, Twinkletoes. Even if I do want to teach you, my parents would never agree to it." Her tone became sad. "I'm sure you've noticed, they're way too protective. They think I'm fragile, that if I so much as walk out of the house, I'm going to break. They treat me like I'm made of glass, just because I'm blind." She was frowning as she leapt up onto the railing of a bridge. She walked across, hands spread out to help balance her. Aang followed.

"Being blind doesn't seem to have held you back at all," Aang noted.

"Even though I was born blind," Toph explained. "I've never had a problem seeing." She leapt off of the bridge. "I 'see' with earthbending. It's kind of like seeing with my feet! I feel the vibrations in the earth, and I can 'see' where everything is. You, that tree, even those ants." She felt Aang looking around. She smiled. She couldn't see, but she was far from blind.

"That's amazing!" Aang told her. It was nice, she noted, to have someone understand, to appreciate her abilities.

"My parents don't understand. They've always treated me like I'm helpless."

"Is that why you became the Blind Bandit?"

"Yeah."

"Then why stay here where you're not happy?"

"They're my parents," Toph said simply. Even though they drove her crazy with their overprotectiveness, she still loved them. And they loved her. That was why they kept her so sheltered. It was misguided, but Toph couldn't just leave and break their hearts. And besides… "Where else am I supposed to go?"

"You could come with us," Aang suggested.

"Yeah. You guys get to go wherever you want. No one telling you what to do, that's the life." She wanted that freedom. "It's just not my life." She couldn't do it. Suddenly, she felt more people coming. She quickly knelt down. "We're being ambushed!" She grabbed Aang, pulling him along as they ran. Before they could get far, an opponent came up from the ground. It was one of the earthbenders from the Earth Rumble, Toph recognized. The guy that liked going underground. She and Aang prepared to fight, but immediately found themselves trapped in metal boxes.

"I think you kids owe me some money," she heard Xin Fu say.

"Let us out of here!" she shouted. She was out of contact with the ground. It…wasn't a pleasant experience.

"Not until you give us the money you cheated us out of!"

"What are you talking about?" Aang asked. "We didn't cheat you out of anything!"

"Nice try," The Boulder said. "But The Boulder clearly saw how the Blind Bandit threw the match!"

Toph scowled at them. "I've never thrown a match in my life! You wanna see a match, let me out of here!"

"If you two won't cough up the money," Xin Fu decided. "Then perhaps your parents will, miss Beifong." Toph could feel the boxes being moved.

Was she seriously being kidnapped?

She rested her head again the back of the box.

"Not exactly what I meant when I said I wanted out of the house more," she muttered.

"Toph?" she heard Aang saying. "Are you okay?"

"Besides being kidnapped by earth rumble fighters to try to hold me for ransom? I'm fine."

"I'm so sorry, Toph. I never meant for this to happen."

She snorted. "Obviously." She was quiet for a moment. "My parents will come for me. They'll pay the ransom." _And ground me for life._

"This never would have happened if I hadn't gone up to you during the tournament."

"Knock it off with blaming yourself, Twinkletoes. How were you supposed to know those knuckleheads were gonna kidnap us just because you airbent me off of the ring?"

Aang was quiet for moment. "Sokka will get us out of this," he finally said.

"He doesn't seem like much," Toph pointed out.

"He's a lot smarter than he seems," Aang told her.

* * *

They were kidnapped. Because of course. Sokka looked over the ransom note, momentarily enjoying that he now had The Boulder's autograph. _Just once_ , he thought _, just once, can't we spend some time in a place where nobody wants to capture or kill us?_

At least it wasn't the Fire Nation. If they had captured Aang, he would be in a lot more trouble. Handed to the Firelord, imprisoned forever−if they didn't just go ahead and kill him. Sokka kept calm, but internally worried as he, Master Yu, and Toph's father went to the arena to get Toph and Aang back.

* * *

"You think you're so tough?" Toph challenged. "Why don't you come up here so I can smack that grin off your face!"

"I'm not smiling," Xin Fu said bluntly.

"Toph!" she heard her father shout.

"Here's your money," Sokka said. "Now let them go." She felt her box being lowered and opened, and she leapt out. Finally, she could 'see' again. Her father, Master Yu, and Sokka had come for her and Aang.

But Aang hadn't been released.

Regardless, she ran to her father, who put his hand on her back.

"What about Aang?" Sokka demanded. "Let him go!"

"I think the Fire Nation would pay a hefty price for the Avatar," Xin Fu said. "Now get out of my ring!" Toph hesitated as her father and Master Yu tried to take her away.

She could feel the other Earth Rumble fighters coming.

There was no way Sokka could take them.

Aang would be lost.

To his credit, Sokka seemed to recognize this.

"Toph! You've beaten these guys before, right?" he called out. "Think you could lend a hand, here?"

"What are you talking about? My daughter has never encountered these lunatics before! And she has never fought anyone, either. She is blind. She is blind, and tiny, and helpless, and…fragile! She could not help you!" Toph listened, eyes closed.

She remembered talking to Aang, how different it was than talking to her father or Master Yu. Aang saw her as she really was. Not blind, not helpless, but as a powerful and skilled earthbender.

She had never really had a friend before.

She took her hand out of her father's grasp. "Yes," she declared. "I can."

And she went to face their enemies.

* * *

Later that night, Aang and Sokka sat in Toph's house. Her father had been silent ever since he'd seen her fight. Aang hoped that the experience would help her father see her as he saw her. As an incredibly gifted earthbender, clearly more skilled than nearly any other in the world.

Aang was sure of it now, Toph was the best earthbender in the world. Except, perhaps, Bumi. But he was also one hundred years older than Toph. Who knew how amazing Toph could be in a few more years?

Her father couldn't possibly keep her caged after this, could he?

"Dad," Toph started. "I know it's probably hard for you to see me this way. But the obedient little helpless blind girl you think I am just isn't me. I love fighting! I love being an earthbender!" Aang could see from the side that she was smiling. "And I'm really, really good at it! I know I've kept my life secret from you, but you were keeping me a secret from the whole world! You were doing it to protect me, but I'm twelve years old, and I've never had a real friend." Aang and Sokka exchanged glances. "So now that you see who I really am, I hope it doesn't change the way you feel about me."

"Of course it doesn't change the way I feel about you, Toph," her father said. "It made me realize something."

"It has?" Toph's voice was hopeful. Aang felt hopeful, too.

"Yes. I've let you have far too much freedom!" Aang felt his mouth drop as he stared at the man. He couldn't be serious! "From now on, you will be cared for and guarded twenty-four hours a day!"  
"But Dad!" Toph protested.

"We're doing this for your own good, Toph," her mother added in. _They really don't understand her at all, do they?_

"Please escort the Avatar and his friend out," her father ordered his servants. "They are no longer welcome here."

"I'm sorry, Toph," he said as he walked by. He looked at her as he was walked out. Would this be the last time he saw her? They had only just met…

"I'm sorry, too," she said. "Goodbye, Aang." He had never heard her sound so sad.

* * *

How could he do this to her?

Toph rarely ever cried, but several tears came down as Toph sat in her room. All her life, she had been treated as fragile, breakable. But she wasn't. And she was so sick of being kept in a cage. And it was a cage, a prison; only superficially better than the metal box Xin Fu had imprisoned her and Aang in.

Aang.

He was her first friend. He actually respected her, understood her. He didn't take a look at her eyes and treat her like glass.

He had offered her freedom.

Toph stood up.

 _Aang needs an earthbending teacher, and I'm it._

So what if her parents didn't approve? So what if she had to run away? She was done being held prisoner by her own parents!

And she was done being lonely, done being the girl no one knew existed, hanging out alone in the garden! Aang was her way out, but he was also her friend, her first friend, and she was not going to let her parents take that away from her!

* * *

"There's plenty of other earthbenders," Sokka pointed out. "I'm sure you can find someone else to teach you."

"But it was supposed to be her," Aang insisted sadly. "Everything led me to her." He shook his head. "And I doubt we'll ever meet another earthbender like her." But Aang got up on Appa.

And then she came running up.

"Toph! What are you doing here?"

"My dad changed his mind," she said, smiling. "He said I was free to travel the world."

"Well," Sokka said. "We'd better get outta here. Before your dad changes his mind again."

"Good idea," Toph agreed.

"You'll be a great earthbending teacher, Toph!" Aang told her.

"Speaking of which," she said, mischief in her voice. "I'm going to show you something." He leapt down.

"Okay!" He was immediately launched into a tree.

"Now, we're even. I'll take the belt back," she said to Sokka, putting her hand out. Sokka tossed it to her, but she couldn't see it, and it hit her in the head. "Ow!"

"Sorry," Sokka said, making a face as he realized his mistake. Aang fell out of the tree. He quickly floated up, hopping on to Appa.

He offered his hand to Toph.

She walked slowly on Appa, sitting in the front of the saddle. She seemed a little unsteady.

"You okay?" Aang asked as he took Appa's reins.

"I can't really see up here," she told him. She frowned. "I guess it's just something I'll have to get used to."

"Right. I didn't think of that. Sorry."

"Hey. It's certainly better than being a prisoner in my own house." Aang brought Appa up in the air. "Whoa. This is definitely a new feeling. Urgh."

"You feeling sick?"

"I'll get used to it," she insisted. "It's worth it."

Aang smiled, though he knew she couldn't see it. "I'm glad to have you, Toph."

* * *

When Toph woke up, later, she knew they were still flying. It was an interesting feeling. It sort of made her feel a little sick. Apparently, it was a fairly normal thing to people new to flying. The fact that she also couldn't see her surroundings probably added to it.

But parts of it were nice, though. She found she kind of liked the feeling of her bangs being blown around, wind in her face. It was practically the definition of freedom.

"You awake?" Aang asked.

"What time is it?"

"Noon," he told her. "Did you get enough sleep? We were all up pretty late."

She shrugged. "Night and day don't exactly mean much to me," she pointed out. "I go to sleep when my parents tell me, or just when I'm tired." A thought occurred to her. "You haven't been up the whole time, have you?" Somehow, she found it hard to imagine Twinkletoes staying up all night.

"Sokka and I took turns," Aang said. "I've been teaching him to fly Appa."

"That's the name of your sky bison?"

"Yeah. I've had him since I was just a little kid. We've been through it all together." Toph smiled as he spoke. "He's all I have left of my old life," Aang said sadly.

"I've heard rumors," Toph said. "I heard you disappeared for a century, and then suddenly showed up a few months ago. What's the deal with that?"

"I kinda got stuck in an iceberg," Aang admitted. "I was in there for a hundred years, along with Appa. And then Katara found me a few months ago."

It was silent for a moment as Toph considered what Aang said.

"Who's Katara?" It was silent again, and Toph could feel that this one was tenser than the last silence. Finally, Aang answered her.

"Katara was Sokka's sister." Toph frowned as she considered this. Was. Katara _was_ Sokka's sister.

"What happened to her?" Toph asked.

"She died," Aang said. Toph could hear the sadness in his voice. "At the North Pole, the Fire Nation attacked. The waterbenders created a wave to push them out…Katara was caught in it, too. Sokka and I looked for her…but we could never find her."

"Oh." It occurred to Toph that she was different from the boys in a way she hadn't previously considered. She didn't know loss. She had grown up overly sheltered. The only death she had experienced was her grandfather's, and she had been too young to remember him.

Obviously, it was a very different situation for Aang and Sokka. This Katara had been Sokka's sister, and had probably been one of Aang's only friends in this time.

"I'm sorry," she told Aang. She wasn't sure what else to say.

"Thanks," he said quietly. "I don't mean to scare you or anything, but you do know it's dangerous out here, right? I mean, seriously, everywhere I go something happens. The Fire Nation is always after me, and if you're with me, you'll be a target, too. I know you can handle yourself, I just need to know you understand that this is dangerous. This isn't just a vacation."

"Great," Toph responded. "I told you, I enjoy fighting. And besides," she added. "It sounds like someone needs to teach those firebenders a lesson."

"Okay then," Aang said. Toph didn't need to be able to see to know he was probably smiling. "It'll be nice having a third person on the team again."

"What was Katara like?" Toph was sort of curious. Who was the girl that was lost?

"She was…she was amazing. She was a waterbender, the last waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe. She had nobody to teach her, so she wasn't very good at it when I first met her. But she got better." Aang laughed. "There was this time, once, where she stole a waterbending scroll from some pirates."

"Really?" Toph smiled. She approved.

"Once she had that, she was totally dedicated to practicing. By the time was reached the North Pole, she had actually gotten pretty good. And then she got a master, after she dueled him…"

Toph was full on grinning now. "She dueled her master?"

"He refused to teach her because she was a girl," Aang explained. "So she smacked him in the head with a water whip and dueled him." Toph laughed.

"I'm sorry I never the chance to meet her," Toph said. "She sounds pretty incredible."

"She was," Aang agreed. The two of them were quiet for a moment. "Hey, would like to hear about how we met King Bumi a few months back?"

Toph raised an eyebrow. Then she shrugged. "Why not?"

"Well," Aang began. "It all started when I took Sokka and Katara there to ride the mail delivery system."

"Ride the mail delivery system?!"

"Yeah! It's a lot of fun actually. Anyways, we rode the mail system, but also damaged a ton of buildings and stuff, so we were arrested and taken to the king. Instead of punishing us, he threw us a feast…"

It was nice having friends.

 **Yuck. I'm really sorry about this chapter, guys. It's almost all a huge rehash of canon. I tried to liven it up a bit by adding a bit of stuff, and messing around with POV. Still, I'd definitely not say it's one of my best. Had to get through it, though. I could hardly just go and introduce Toph in one paragraph.**

 **Besides, eventually, this fic is also going to work up to a Taang pairing. Just laying a bit of ground for that. Obviously, it's gonna be a while before we really get there. They just met. But, this is one sucky chapter down, laying the foundation for what, hopefully, will be a pretty good part in the future.**

 **Next chapter should have a lot less rehashing of canon, so hopefully that'll be better than this one. Seriously, sorry about that guys.**

 **Obviously, this fic does correspond pretty closely to what happened in canon, to the point that some of these chapters are pretty close to what happened in canon. It does, I suppose, make some parts of this fic fairly predictable. Although, part 3 is gonna be fun because it will be having a bit more of a difference from canon.**

 **Note: I do apologize for any spelling errors. I'll do my best to correct them all when I'm done with part 2, along with any other modifications to my story.**

 **Thanks!**


	16. Part 2 Chapter 8: Understanding

Katara and Iroh followed the tracks left by the ostrich-horse. They went slow, allowing Zuko to be ahead of them. He wouldn't appreciate them following him, Iroh reasoned. Zuko felt that he needed to find his path alone, and could view them following him as shameful, believing he didn't need help.

"We'll intervene only if we need to," Iroh decided. "But I do think he may benefit from his time alone. It is his path."

"I hope he doesn't get into trouble," Katara said, then she shook her head. "Not too much trouble, anyways. Knowing Zuko, something will happen."

So, they followed him, perhaps a day behind him, or half of a day behind him. Close enough that they could quickly help him if the need arose, but far enough that he didn't notice them.

Katara had spent a considerable amount of time with the two Fire Nation royals trying to ignore Zuko. But now, with him gone, she felt his absence. Arguing with him, of course, wasn't that great, but when they could get along, she found that they had gone pretty well together.

And Iroh clearly missed his nephew. He was calm, and he did his best to reassure her, too, but she noticed the tension in his forehead, the tightness of his lips. He had, after all, lost his son before. While he was willing to let Zuko go, Katara knew that Iroh was also concerned about the many things which could go wrong, the many ways that he could now lose Zuko.

On their second day tracking Zuko, Katara decided that the anxious silence would drive them both crazy. As a distraction, she shared some of her adventured with Aang and Sokka. She told him about the time they met the Kyoshi Warriors, how the leader, Suki, had made Sokka wear the dress and makeup to learn from them. She talked about how King Bumi had made Aang go through several bizarre challenges, only to reveal that he was actually Aang's friend from a century before, and hadn't really intended to hurt her or Sokka anyways. She also told him about her experience with Master Pakku.

"He refused to teach me," she said, and even though he had later changed his mind, her voice was still tinged with frustration. "Just because I'm a girl. And then when Aang tried to teach me, he caught us, and then he refused to teach Aang, too!" She was frowning.

"He refused to teach the Avatar?" Iroh sounded surprised, and when Katara looked over, she saw that he looked slightly exasperated, shaking his head. "He should understand that the fate of the world depends on the Avatar mastering the elements. What was he thinking?"

"Tradition," Katara answered. "Apparently, the Northern Water Tribe is just flat-out sexist. And they had no interest in changing." She shook her head, then gave a small smirk. "I challenged him to a duel."

Iroh raised an eyebrow. "You challenged one of the greatest waterbending masters in the world to a duel?" He sounded amused and impressed. "I told you before, you and Zuko are more similar than you realize."

Katara gave a small smile. "I didn't win," she told him. "But he did acknowledge that I'm a pretty good waterbender."

"So how did you convince him to train you?"

"My necklace. It's been passed down my family, but originally, it was my grandmother's. She was from the North Pole."

"Ah," Iroh nodded, understanding. "An engagement tradition of the Northern Water Tribe. But, she didn't marry her fiancé?"

"Nope. See, it was actually Master Pakku himself she was supposed to marry. But it was an arranged marriage."

"And she went to the Southern Water Tribe to escape it."

Katara nodded. "My necklace fell off during the duel. Pakku picked it up, and recognized it as the one he made for Gran-Gran. I guess he finally realized what those stupid traditions had cost him, and he reconsidered." She smiled. "He said that I was one of the best students I ever had. And, since I was trained, I heard that they were thinking of going ahead and permitting girls to train in actual waterbending." She was grinning. It was definitely something she was proud of.

"I'm glad you were able to convince him to train you," Iroh said. "It would have been a huge waste of talent if you hadn't been trained." He frowned. "The Fire Nation also used to have similar traditions. And while I'm reluctant to credit this war with anything good, I suppose it did result in our women gaining more power than they had. With the men gone, the women of the Fire Nation have taken over many duties at home. They gained influence, and asserted their equality. Nowadays, women are viewed as men's equals. They're even recruited into our military."

Katara blinked. "Wow, never thought I'd actually prefer the Fire Nation's way of doing anything," she said. "My tribe is better with women than the north, but even our women don't usually go to fight with our men." There wasn't anything saying they couldn't, Katara supposed.

Iroh frowned. "From what I remember, your tribe is quite small. It seems to me that if any more of your people went to war, your tribe wouldn't have anyone in it!"

Katara frowned too. "I suppose," she admitted. "But I guess I just want to do my part to end this war. My father left a few years ago, leaving my brother and I to take care of the tribe." She shook her head. "I just don't think it's in my nature to hide out while the people I love are fighting."

"An understandable position," Iroh agreed. "But I worry about what this war is doing. While the equality granted to my nations women is well-deserved, consider the consequences of sending so much of our population to war. Already, we notice that women outnumber the men. Such was what motivated my father to allow women to go to fight with the men. My brother," Iroh continued, and Katara frowned at the mention of Firelord Ozai. "My brother has begun conscripting men, forcing them to fight. This targets the poor men of our society most. These men are sent to die at the frontlines. Within the past year, I have heard talk of conscripting women, too."

Katara blinked. "So…what? He's going to send everyone to fight?"

"As many as possible, within a certain age." Iroh shook his head. "He will cripple an entire generation. If he continues this for much longer, I fear he will burn the world down, and destroy our own nation in the process."

Katara frowned.

It wasn't the first time Iroh had shown disapproval for his nation and his brother's actions. And, she realized, he was kinder to her than any enemy ought to be. She recalled Azula, how she had derided her as an 'inferior being'. But Iroh seemed to hold no such attitudes. He didn't seem to believe that the Fire Nation was superior. In fact, he seemed to agree that this war needed to end. Katara recalled how, once, Iroh had talked about how elements worked together to sustain life.

It occurred to her for the first time that Iroh may be much more than he appeared to be.

* * *

A couple days later, Katara was laughing as Iroh sang The Girls from Ba Sing Se. She shook her head; it was a mixture of sweet and obnoxious, but Iroh clearly enjoyed singing it. He had been telling her about the Fire Nation again, and he had taken to singing some of the songs he knew. Most were from the Fire Nation, but others were ones he had encountered at various places in the world. He really had been around, Katara noted.

As he finished singing, he took the tin tea kettle out from over the fire. Taking one of the cups, he put it in front of Katara and poured her some tea, before taking another cup and pouring some for himself.

"Thanks, Uncle Iroh," Katara said without thinking. Iroh was quiet for a moment, and Katara realized what she said. "Oh, I mean…sorry, I guess."

"It's fine," he reassured her. He smiled, and she smiled back.

"You've just been very easy to talk to," she admitted. "And I suppose it's been a while since I've really had an adult in my life who actually guides me in any way." Iroh had come to share a place with Gran-Gran and Master Pakku.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, and I assure you, I don't mind. Family, after all, is more than blood ties."

Katara nodded. After all, she had sworn to Aang that she and Sokka would be hid family. And we really was like a little brother to her. And Master Pakku, in the weeks she had known him, had been much like she figured a grandfather would be. Katara smiled as she sipped her tea. Now, Iroh had joined the family, the honorary uncle who happened to be Fire Nation.

* * *

The next day, he told her about his son, Lu Ten. Katara listened as he spoke of his dead son. He sounded like a good person, even if he was loyal to the Fire Nation. She couldn't help but smile as Iroh talked about how much Lu Ten adored his cousins, treating them more like siblings than cousins. "Some days it would be impossible to pull him away from them," Iroh had told her. Iroh took a more somber note when he mentioned how he had decided to take Lu Ten with him when he went to conquer Ba Sing Se.

Katara quickly changed topics, telling him more about her adventures with Aang and Sokka. Iroh's smile returned as she spoke.

"I do have to ask," he said. "How did you find Aang? The Avatar has been missing for an entire century. How did you come to find him after all that time?"

"It's a bit of an embarrassing story, actually," she noted. "My brother and I were out fishing. Our canoe got caught up in a strong current, and it pulled us through a lot of smaller chunks of ice. After a few minutes, we got stuck on one, and our canoe was crushed. We started arguing…" She blushed as she recalled the event. "Heh. See, my brother always let me do all of the chores, and I kind of snapped. I got really mad at him, and I accidentally started waterbending while I yelled at him. I split open an iceberg. As it turned out Aang's iceberg was inside that one. I noticed it glowing, and I saw his figure, so I took Sokka's club and opened it. The rest is history."

Iroh's eyes were raised. "Who would have ever thought that the world would be saved by a pair of teenagers squabbling?"

Katara laughed a moment before frowning.

"Do you really support this war at all? I mean, maybe I'm just imagining it, but you don't seem to approve of anything your brother does. And you talk about how bad this war is for everyone. And you basically just said that Aang will save the world!" Katara blinked. "So…seriously? Are you…on our side?"

Iroh waited a moment before sighing. "I was raised, like my brother and his children, to continue Sozin's vision for the world. And I was proud to 'spread the Fire Nation's greatness.'" He shook his head as he said those last words. "It was only when I lost Lu Ten that I realized what we were really doing. We were not spreading greatness, not helping as Sozin and my father claimed we were. No, we were only spreading destruction and death, and I had no desire to be a part of that. We were only killing other people's sons, just as my son had been killed. I called off the siege of Ba Sing Se, and had my men return to the Fire Nation. I had wondered if I could have convinced my father to end the war…"

"But he was dead," Katara recalled. "And Ozai was crowned Firelord."

"Yes," Iroh said. "And he had little interest in what I had to say."

"Couldn't you have challenged him or anything?" Katara asked. The world would have been so much better off, she was certain now, if Iroh had become Firelord.

"I could have," Iroh acknowledged. "And there was a window of opportunity for me to do so. After all, more than a few people questioned Ozai's ascendance to the throne. It was too sudden, and it left much suspicion in the air. If I had wanted to, I could have challenged him. And I had other nobles who would have supported my claim, and members of the military willing to fight for me if it came to a civil war." Iroh shook his head. "But I had no interest in the crown anymore, and no will to fight for it."

"But you knew the war was wrong," Katara said. "You could have ended it."

"Perhaps I could have. But I was lost, broken at that time. I lost my son, to a war I suddenly understood shouldn't have been started, I lost my father, I lost my crown, I lost much respect as a general after pulling my men out of Ba Sing Se. I understood that the war was wrong, that I had been wrong to support it, but I did not know where to turn to instead. So I left."

Katara blinked. "You left?"

"I went on a journey of discovery, to find myself again, to find answers. To understand the world as it truly was, and how to fix it. To learn what my true destiny was. I even traveled to the Spirit World."

Katara's eyes widened. "I thought only the Avatar could travel between worlds."

"From my understanding, in a time long before any records being kept, the Spirit World and our world were one. At some point, they were separated, and the Avatar became the bridge between our worlds. But, there are still ways for normal mortals to travel to the Spirit World, if they are willing to dedicate much time and patience to finding those ways."

"Wow," Katara's voice was awed. "That's amazing." She blinked. "Why were our worlds separated?"

Iroh shrugged. "I don't know everything," he told her. "All of this was thousands of years ago; any record which may have been kept is probably unreadable now. This is only what I've put together from what I learned while trying to get to the Spirit World, and what I heard there."

"So…after you went to the Spirit World, then what?"

"I learned," Iroh said plainly. "And I finally understood. I saw how our world was out of balance, how it would remain out of balance so long as the Fire Nation continues to attempt domination. I sought out others, other individuals who saw the problem of the world. I returned to the Fire Nation." Iroh frowned.

"And you still didn't want the crown?"

Iroh shook his head. "My opportunity had passed. Ozai had solidified his grip on the throne. Things were even worse than when I left…I found that many of my colleagues were gone. Generals who loved their men, dead. Admirals who followed a code of honor, suddenly lost at sea. Other advisors, missing. The same occurred to virtually all of the nobles who had offered to support me if I challenged Ozai."

Katara's eyes widened and she suppressed a shiver. "He purged them," she realized. "He purged the Fire Nation of anyone who opposed him, and had the power to do anything."

Iroh nodded. "I could hardly ask him if it were the case, but it does seem likely to me. Still, I wasn't powerless. I understood that it wasn't the time. But, I knew where the future of the nation lied." He smiled. "As you know, Ozai was no better a father than he is a Firelord."

"You took over raising his children."

"Tried," Iroh amended. "Azula had little interest in spending time with me, and I fear her father's influence had already grown too much. She had dismissed me as weak after I abandoned the siege of Ba Sing Se. Zuko, though, he was more open. And he has become like a son to me." Iroh smiled momentarily before shaking his head. "I have done my best to guide him over the past three years. Lead him to understand his part in this…I believe that it is his destiny to help the Avatar restore balance to the world."

Katara's eyes widened. "You think he will?" She looked down to her feet as she walked. "I hope you're right. I don't want to fight him anymore." She furrowed her eyebrows. "He's so stubborn, though. And clueless sometimes. What if he doesn't ever see the truth?"

"Then I believe we would have a rather large problem," Iroh admitted. "But I have seen the good inside of him, and so have you. And now, I believe our new situation will force him to confront the true nature of this war. When the time comes, I believe that Zuko will make the right choice."

"When we meet up with Aang again," Katara brought up a few days later. "Do you think you could be hid firebending master?" Hopefully, Aang would have found an earthbending master. Bumi…might not be available, given what happened to Omashu, but surely he would have been able to find _someone_ else to teach him.

"Hmm," Iroh considered. "Perhaps, if that is where destiny leads us. I don't know that I am meant to be the one to teach him, but if that responsibility falls to me, then I would do my best."

"I can just imagine Aang and Zuko training together," Katara said, laughing a little. "I think Aang would drive him even crazier as a friend than he does as an enemy." After all, Aang, despite the huge responsibility on his shoulders, was still very much a child. He liked to play around, and joke, and sometimes didn't take things as seriously as he should.

Zuko, on the other hand, was always serious. He didn't joke, or goof around. Katara actually couldn't help but appreciate it a bit. After years of fulfilling the motherly role, and frequently being the one to remind Aang and Sokka to do their parts, it was nice to have someone else who was a bit more thoughtful about their life and responsibilities.

She really did miss him.

* * *

In another two days, Katara followed Iroh as he observed the tracks. He hesitated as he looked onwards, and Katara came to stand next to him.

"Is something wrong?"

Iroh frowned. "He's left the wooded area," he told her. He pointed forward, and Katara looked. It wasn't a very nice looking place, with a lot of sand and rock and large hills. There was little vegetation, and it didn't look like there was much water to be found. The sky was nearly cloudless in that direction, the sun shining almost too bright for Katara to even look near. "I worry that this may not be a safe direction. Food and water will not be plentiful."

Katara's eyes widened. "Do you think he'll be okay? Maybe we should go catch up to him now…"

But Iroh shook his head. "Not until we are absolutely certain he needs us."

Katara folded her arms, but went with Iroh.

She hoped Zuko would be okay.

The new terrain was far less pleasant than the previous area of the Earth Kingdom they had been traveling in. Much of the area Katara had traveled through before was fairly nice, with a decent amount of grass, and trees, and usually a fairly good amount of water nearby. Food was accessible, along with water. And there was usually a village or two close enough for anyone to find if they needed help.

But this place that Zuko had wandered into was different. It was arid, and very devoid of life. Iroh and Katara found that they were running out of the food they had brought, and it was also difficult to find water. Katara found herself recalling how she and Iroh purified water on the raft, and recalled how it had been said that there was water in the air. At one point, while she and Iroh were resting, she closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, trying to see if she could feel any water…there was, she felt, and she tried to bend it out of the air. It really was abysmally little, and after spending an hour to bend a mouthful of water into their water pouch, she gave up. All that effort for so little? It was hardly worth it.

Maybe if they were on the brink of dying of dehydration, but otherwise…

 _What is Zuko thinking? This place is a death trap!_

* * *

In another couple of days, she noticed that Iroh looked even more concerned than ever.

"From what I can tell," he told Katara. "Zuko hasn't been setting any campfires up. At least for the past couple days."

"What does that mean?" she asked. "He can warm himself with his breath of fire, can't he?" It was hot during the day, even more so due to the lack of shade, but during the night it could get fairly cool.

"Heat is not a problem," Iroh agreed. "But what else do you use fire for?"

Katara frowned as she thought for a moment. "Cooking. Zuko isn't cooking anything." Her eyebrows pulled in as she put together what it was Iroh was worried about. "You think he's run out of food."

He nodded. "I don't know how much food he took to begin with," he told her. "And I don't know how much money he has with him, either. Not to mention, this place isn't exactly overflowing with things he could eat."

"If he's run out of food, he's probably also run out of water by now." Katara glared at the water pouch she and Iroh had been using. "This place is basically a desert. There's nothing out here." She looked up at Iroh. "Now can we intervene?"

Iroh frowned. "Right now I'm not sure we could even help him," he admitted. "We're running out of food as well. And water."

Katara frowned. "I can bend more water," she told him. His eyes widened.

"From the air itself?" He sounded impressed. She nodded.

"Only a little bit," she admitted. "This place is so dry…but something is an improvement over nothing, right?"

"And if he really has run out of food," Iroh agreed. "Then even what we've got left should be helpful."

They continued following the track left by the ostrich-horse, but now they walked a little faster, and a little longer than they had in previous days.

* * *

"He pushes himself," Iroh told her. "Ever since he was little, he wanted to show that he could be a great firebender, a great swordsman. Not always for the right reasons," Iroh admitted. "He wants to prove himself to his father." Iroh frowned. "Ozai should have loved him, but he did not. He denied his son his affection."

"He prefers Azula," Katara figured.

"My brother appreciates that she is useful to him, nothing more. He sees her as his weapon. Does he love her?" Iroh looked thoughtful. "To be honest, I doubt it. But perhaps I just can't see him loving any family member after what he did to Zuko."

Katara glared into the ground. "He's a monster," she muttered. She looked to Iroh. "You're more of a father to Zuko than Ozai. I hope he realizes that someday."

Iroh smiled. "Ozai and I never really had a close relationship," Iroh noted. "Even when I was younger, and followed in my father's footsteps, somehow Ozai and I never particularly cared for each other. Perhaps in part because of our age difference. I was old enough to be his father, so I suppose we didn't really ever get the chance to grow up together. While he was young and growing, I was busy starting my own family, as well as my career in the military. When I did try to bond with him, we never did succeed. We may as well have been strangers, speaking different languages for all that we really understood each other. Later, when I did spend time with his family, I actually spent more time with his wife and children than I did with him," Iroh admitted. "He had little interest in spending time with them. Until they started firebending."

"And since Azula's a prodigy, she took center stage." Katara frowned as she recalled her conversation with Zuko. "Can I talk to you about something?"

"Of course," Iroh said, looking concerned. "Is something wrong?"

"A few weeks back, Zuko and I talked to each other. About bending, I mean. He said he feels like…like there's a wall, or something. Like he just can't firebend like he should." Katara frowned, unsure if she was explaining it properly. "Do you understand what I mean?"

"I do," Iroh told her.

"Have you ever heard of anything like this?" Katara asked him.

"I have," he confirmed. "What Zuko is experiencing is a failure to spiritually connect to his element."

Katara frowned. "How so?"

"Consider this: fire is unique among the elements in that we create it. In order to create our fire, we pull energy from within our own chi, and channel it using our passion, our drives." Iroh fingered his beard. "Over the past century or so, it has become the norm to use emotions such as frustration, anger, and hatred to produce our fire." Iroh shook his head. "Perhaps it isn't surprising that our nation has fallen to madness and ruin, that our nation has gone on a rampage of conquest and destruction."

Katara frowned. "No kidding. I mean, that just can't be good."

"This is how people in my nation are taught to bend nowadays," Iroh said sadly. "And it is also how Zuko was taught to bend."

"But it doesn't work for him," Katara concluded. "But he is really angry a lot," she pointed out. "And frustrated. I wouldn't think it would be such a problem for his bending…"

"As angry as my nephew is, he lacks the ruthlessness required to follow through," Iroh explained. "Consider what happened with Zhao. He fought him, and Zuko was winning. But, when it all came down to it, when Zhao was taken by La, Zuko still tried to save him."

Katara nodded slowly. "It's not really in his nature to be cruel and hateful. He care about people…so I guess that makes sense." She frowned. "There's another way to firebend, then? I mean, I'm pretty sure you don't use this method."

"There is another way," Iroh said. "I learned it when I was younger. And I've tried to slip some of its teachings in to Zuko. But the lesson, ultimately, needs to be taught by the Old Masters."

"The Old Masters?" Katara questioned.

Iroh nodded. "The lesson they have to teach is not one I could give. Zuko will have to go to them himself. And it is not yet the time for that," he concluded.

"But he's ashamed of not firebending as well as he should be able to."

"He's not ready," Iroh continued. "Not yet. But perhaps he will be soon enough. And we will all know when he is."

* * *

"These tracks are definitely more recently made," Iroh observed. "Perhaps a matter of hours old." He looked over to Katara. "If we wish, we could probably catch up to him by tomorrow."

"Well, we do want to catch up to him, don't we?" When Iroh hesitated, Katara nearly exploded. "Are you kidding me? He's alone out there, starving! Hasn't his little adventure gone far enough?!"

"I have done my best to guide him," Iroh said. "But right now he has to find his own way. If I intervene now, he may not be grateful."

"But if he's starving," Katara protested.

Iroh quickly shook his head. "You know how stubborn he can be, even to his own detriment. If I break his trust now, how can he know that he could trust me in the future?"

Katara frowned. She folded her arms.

She never thought she would miss Zuko this much, but she found that she did. They had bonded, admittedly. From being on the raft, to traveling the Earth Kingdom. She had come to understand that he wasn't what she had thought he was. He wasn't evil. He was actually a fairly good person, despite his confusion. He was a teenager, desperate to earn his cruel father's approval. And she also couldn't help but hope that, someday, he would see past his father's vision of the world. That someday, maybe, they could fight on the same side. Iroh believed it was possible. And Katara found that she believed it, too. As Iroh had noted, she and Zuko were not as different as she had once believed. They were stubborn, passionate, and driven. They both refused to back down. They had made some of the same mistakes in the past. Katara thought of her compromise with him, how they had worked together for a day. It hadn't gone like she thought it would, of course, but they had worked well for that day. And he had bought her a hair tie, a peace offering as he saw it.

"Then I'll go ahead without you," she told Iroh quietly. He looked momentarily surprised, so she quickly explained. "I'm sorry, but I can't wait anymore when I know he's in trouble. And maybe he won't be as upset if it's me. I mean any more than usual. It wouldn't be the first time we fought. And at least he wouldn't be mad at you. But I can't stand not knowing," she continued, shaking her head. "I care about him, and this…it's gone too far."

Iroh slowly nodded, smiling. "You know, I do think perhaps he wouldn't be as upset if it were you. If it were me, he could just see it as me trying to control his life. But you? I believe he has come to view you as an equal." He frowned. "You would be alone for a while," he pointed out as he separated their things. He gave her the small package of food that they had left. "It won't be pleasant," he warned. "We have little food left. And water…"

"I can handle," Katara assured him. She offered a smile. "I promise, I'll be careful."

They continued walking for the rest of the day, until night. Iroh made camp, and Katara took what little she had. Finally, she left.

"Good luck to you, Katara. Find Zuko, and be careful."

"I'll see again," she promised. "And I promise I'll have Zuko with me. Bye, Uncle Iroh."

It was dusk the next day when Katara found a small village. The tracks led there. It was an old looking town, with dusty streets, and small, plain buildings. The town seemed empty.

Except for the fight in the streets.

Zuko was fighting an earthbender. By the looks of it, the earthbender was in the Earth Kingdom army. He was hurling large stones at Zuko, who was fighting with his swords. Katara had never actually seen him using those, she noted, but he looked to be pretty good from what she was seeing. And it wasn't even a fair fight, considering that he also didn't seem to be in the best condition. Katara smiled as she heard townsfolk cheering Zuko on.

"What's going on?" she asked one of the locals.

He turned to her, blinking in surprise. "Another stranger? This must be a record." He turned back to the fight. "Those soldiers have been bullying us ever since they came," the man said. "They were going to force that kid," pointing to a young boy tied up in the middle of the street. "To go fight in the war. But then this guy came! He's actually standing up to them!" Katara grinned as she heard the story. She had heard of some of Zuko's more heroic moments before. Fighting Zhao, standing up to the general in the war-room, rescuing her. But this was the first time she was present and conscious for any of them.

The moment turned sour, however, after the earthbender successfully hit Zuko from the ground. It hit him hard in the stomach, and threw him back. He didn't get up.

Katara's eyes widened. "No!" She moved forward, but several of the villagers pulled her back.

"They'll go after you!" she heard one saying to her.

"I don't care!" she whisper-shouted at them. She saw the earthbender walking towards Zuko, taking out his hammers. "Hey! Get away from him!" She wrested herself out of the villagers grasp, moving forward. The soldier turned back.

"Run back home, little girl," he smirked at her. She wished she had more water. She really wanted to smack that smirk off of his face.

Zuko came back to consciousness, and he spun his swords around, releasing a swirl of fire, blasting the earthbender away.

Katara winced. Even if that jerk deserved it, Katara doubted this was going to turn out well.

Zuko blasted the earthbender again, knocking him into the side of a building.

"Who…who are you?" he asked Zuko. _Please, please don't answer that, Zuko._

"My name is Zuko," he declared, and Katara pinched the bridge of her nose. "Son of Ursa and Firelord Ozai. Prince of the Fire Nation, and heir to the throne!" Whispers erupted among the villagers, and Katara shook her head.

She could only hope they wouldn't respond too badly…

"Liar!" one villager called out. "I've heard of you! You're not a prince, you're an outcast! His own father burned and disowned him!"

It was even worse than Katara had thought. She thought of how Zuko had gotten his scar, and suddenly she was angry. "Who're you to judge him?!" she shouted at the villager. "He just helped you people! And now you're just going to turn on him because of his parentage?!"

"It's his father's fault those soldiers were here to begin with! It's his people's fault we've lost our loved ones!"

"Yeah!"

"He's their prince!"

"We shouldn't let him leave!"

"Give him to the Earth King!"

"Traitor!"

"How can you defend him!?"

Katara's eyes widened as people began shouting. Most were directed at Zuko, but a few were also directed at her. She shook her head, eyes tearing up slightly.

"Just because he's Fire Nation, doesn't mean he's evil!" she shouted. "How can there ever be peace in the world if we all hate each other based on the nation we're from?"

"Katara," Zuko's voice interrupted her tirade. Katara looked over her shoulder to see Zuko standing there.

"Zuko," she turned around. He didn't look good. Now that she was close to him, she could see that he seemed thinner than before, and he also looked completely worn out.

"What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you. Obviously."

He didn't respond, looking over to where the boy that had been tied up was with his mother. Katara noticed the mother glaring at Zuko.

Zuko walked to the ostrich-horse, getting up. He walked the ostrich-horse to Katara, offering her his hand to help her up. She took it, getting up on the ostrich-horse with him. She leant against him, slightly.

"Traitor!" another villager yelled. "How can you choose the prince of your people's enemies?!"

"Zuko is not my enemy!"

"Ignore them," Zuko said quietly. "It…doesn't matter."

Katara frowned, but she didn't say anything else as the left the village. With people glaring at both of them, they rode into the sunset.

* * *

It was nighttime when they stopped and got off of the ostrich-horse. It had gotten fairly cool out again, as it tended to during the night. Zuko got off first and then wordlessly helped Katara down.

"Do you want a fire?" he asked quietly.

She shrugged. "I grew up in the South Pole, remember? This is almost warm to me." She sat down on the ground, near Zuko. "If you want a fire, though, go ahead and make one." Zuko just sat down across from Katara. He was quiet. It was actually the first time he had spoken since they had left the village. Katara hadn't pushed him, but she could tell he was troubled. "Zuko, about what happened in the village…"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"But maybe you should talk about it," she suggested. "Sometimes, keeping things bottled up inside just makes them explode later." She frowned. "I know we aren't exactly best friends or anything, and half the time we can't even get along, but…I've come to care about you. You can talk to me."

He was silent for a moment, and Katara thought that he wasn't going to talk to her. Then, quietly, "The people of that village hated me because I'm Fire Nation."

"They did," Katara agreed. "And because you're the son of the Firelord, at that."

"Do you hate me?"

"I…used to." Katara considered her words. Zuko was clearly upset over the experience. She didn't want to make him feel worse. "Back before I knew you, I hated you. You were the prince of the Fire Nation, practically a personification of everything that went wrong in my life. Everything wrong with the world. And to top it all off, you were also chasing my friend around the world. And you tied me to a tree," she added.

Zuko blinked. "Right…did I ever apologize for that?"

"No."

"Oh…well, sorry."

Katara raised an eyebrow. "Anyways, I did used to hate you. But then, I actually met you. And got to know you. And I've come to understand that you're more than just an enemy. You're a person, and a good person at that." Katara offered a smile. "I told you I care about you, and I do, Zuko. I don't hate you anymore."

Zuko looked to her, and in the dim light of the moon, Katara thought he seemed a bit relieved. But then he looked to the ground. "Those villagers clearly disagree. Even after I tried to help them. And the boy, Lee…we only knew each other for a day, but I thought he had bonded a bit. But the moment they knew who I really was, they hated me. They even hated you for defending me!"

"Zuko." Katara moved, resituating herself so that she was sitting on her feet right in front of Zuko. His face was close, and even in the dark, she could clearly see his eyes. "They don't know you. Not like I know you. They look at you, and all they see is the prince of the nation that has caused them so much pain. They don't understand that you are a good person." She frowned. "It wasn't right of them to turn against you like that."

"Does everybody hate the Fire Nation?" Zuko asked her. "I never realized that people of other nations hated my people so much…"

"This war has unleashed so much havoc in this world," Katara told him. "The Air Nomads were completely wiped out. My tribe has been nearly so. And the Earth Kingdom has lost many people to this war. I hate to say it, but this village's view probably isn't a rare one." _In fact_ , Katara thought, _a lot of people probably have it. I used to._ For a moment, Katara's mind wandered a couple months back, to when she, Sokka, and Aang had met Jet. Jet went far in his hatred of the Fire Nation, but there were probably a lot of people who still hated everyone from the Fire Nation, regardless of who they were. "I lost my mother to this war," Katara said sadly.

Zuko was quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry," he finally said. "I lost my mother, too."

Katara blinked. It occurred to her that she had never heard much about the Firelady. She had heard about Ozai, about Azula, and e little about Firelord Azulon form Iroh. She knew much more about Iroh and Zuko, but now she realized that all she had ever heard about Zuko's mother was that Love Amongst the Dragons was her favorite play. "I'm sorry," she finally told Zuko. "What happened to your mother?"

"I don't know," Zuko told her quietly, grimly. "She just…disappeared the day my grandfather died."

Katara blinked. "Sounds like a busy time," she said slowly. "So, your cousin died, your grandfather died, you father became Firelord instead of his older brother, and your mother just disappeared?" She furrowed her eyebrows.

"I know what you're suggesting," Zuko said quietly. He shook his head. "I don't know what happened that night, and I don't care to guess."

"But don't you want to know the truth of what happened to your mother?"

Zuko looked away for a moment. "The truth is that she disappeared almost six years ago, and I've never heard or seen her since then. I don't know if she's alive or dead. I wish I knew. But my father is the only one who knows anything, and even though I must have asked him a thousand times, he never told me."

"I'm sorry, Zuko."

"What happened to you mother?"

"Fire Nation raid," she said, and she could see Zuko wince. "They killed my mother. And then they left."

"What, they just came over, killed you mother, and then left without doing anything else?" Katara nodded. "That doesn't make any sense…unless…"

"What?" Katara asked. "Do you know anything?"

"Maybe…no," he finally settled. "I don't know. But I'm sorry you lost her."

Katara took a deep, slightly shuddering breath. "That day will haunt me forever," she told him. She moved her hand up to her necklace. "This necklace is all I have left from her."

"Oh." He moved his hand up and scratched his hair. "That…wouldn't happen to be the necklace I tried to bribe you with, would it? You know…when I tied to that tree…"

"Yeah," she said, a bit of annoyance tinging her voice. "Same necklace."

"Great," he muttered, and he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I didn't know that necklace meant so much to you."

"Would you have still used it if you did know?"

Zuko opened his mouth, and closed it. "I'm not sure. Maybe."

"Anyways," she continued. "At least I have it back now."

"I wasn't lying when I told you I didn't steal it," he told her. "I found it on a prison for earthbenders while tracing the Avatar's steps."

Katara nodded. "Right. That was when I lost it. Anyways…"

The two of them were silent again.

"Thank you," Zuko finally said. "For defending me, earlier, in the village."

She smiled. "Someone needed to stand up for you," she said. "And that guy was way out of line, the one talking about your scar."

Zuko was quiet for a moment. "Iroh told you how I got it."

"He did," Katara confirmed. She was looking straight into his eyes. "Look, Zuko. I knew you've been told you lost your honor. But…I've told you before, you're one of the most honorable people I know. Even if sometimes you make mistakes, I do believe you've got your heart in the right place." She took her hand, and slowly brought it up to his face. To his scar. She thought, maybe, he would stop her, but instead he allowed her to touch it.

It was tough. Almost similar to leather, she noted. It also felt almost scaly, and dry. There were small contractures in several places.

"Katara?"

Finally, she pulled her hand away, and instead pulled him into a tight hug, nearly knocking them both down from where they were sitting. He tensed, initially not returning the hug. After a few moments, he slowly put his hand on her back.

"You did the right thing that day," she told him quietly.

He was silent for a few moments, and as Katara felt drowsy, he repositioned her and himself so that she could lie where he had been sleeping.

"Thank you, Katara."

* * *

Zuko woke up at sunrise, as was habit for many firebenders. For a moment, he relaxed, his head against Katara's…

His eyes shot open, looking a few inches over. He blushed as he realized that he and Katara were no longer sleeping several feet apart, as they were originally, but had apparently tossed and rolled over so that Katara now had her head on his shoulder. They weren't exactly sleeping next to each other−by the looks of it, Katara had done more to roll over, and was actually sleeping somewhat diagonally compared to him.

Zuko's cheeks were both red as he comprehended the situation. He had never been this close to a girl−at least, not a teenage girl, when he was a teenager. Not to mention, it was completely by accident. Although they had, admittedly, grown closer, he doubted Katara would have wanted to be this close to him.

They were…friends, but they didn't have _that_ sort of relationship.

Slowly, Zuko inched himself away from Katara. She took in a deep breath, and for a moment Zuko worried that he had woken her up by moving. Then she let it out, giving a small, sleepy smile. Zuko stood up, looking to the horizon.

It was a new day, and despite how things had gone with the Lee and the villagers the day before, Zuko found that he still had the drive to keep going. He had, at least, gotten to eat and drink a bit. He knew he was weakened from the past couple of weeks, but the day before had restored a bit of his strength, even if he was sore from his fight with the soldier.

And Katara was there with him.

Peering out at the horizon, he saw a small, familiar shape in the distance.

The Avatar's bison.

 **Well, I hope this chapter made up for the last one, at least a little bit. This one is almost entirely non-canon, whereas last one was almost completly what happened in the series.**

 **Hope you enjoyed this.**

 **And, yes, the Zutara is building. :D**

 **Finally, right? And we're only 79K words in!**

 **Anyways, I'm thinking next chapter will be the last one in Part 2, and then I'll do my polishing of this fic, fixing spelling, grammar, maybe some tweaking of some chapters, as well as possibly merging a few.**

 **It's pretty easy to tell where's I'm going next. The Chase!**

 **It will have more of what happened in canon next chapter, but I promise, it won 't be anywhere near as bad as last chapter.**

 **Hope you liked it! Till next chapter.**


	17. Part 2 Chapter 9: Reunion and The Vision

Chapter 17: The Reunion and The Vision

Aang landed Appa, and Toph eagerly jumped from the bison. As nice as it was to travel freely, admittedly Toph was unable to 'see' while on the bison. Landing in the grass, she immediately felt their surroundings, and she smiled as her 'sight' returned. She felt Sokka on the ground near her, while Aang was still on Appa, handing Sokka their sleeping bags.

"Hey, you guys picked a great camp site," she told them. "The grass is so soft!"

"That's not grass," Sokka corrected. "Appa's shedding."

"Oh."

"It happens every year," Aang said cheerfully. "Every spring and fall."

After a moment, Toph heard Appa sneeze, and felt his fur tickling all over. He must have blown it around. She heard Aang and Sokka laughing, and felt Sokka kneeling to the ground, scooping up a pile of the fur.

"What do you think of my new wig?" he asked Aang. Aang laughed as he leapt down from Appa.

"Not bad," Aang said. "How's my beard?"

Toph grinned at her new friends' antics. She was more than happy to join in. She quickly grabbed some of the fur, stuffing it into her short sleeves. "Excuse me, does anybody have a razor? Cause I've got some hairy pits!" She raised her arms up, showing off the fur she'd stuffed in. She laughed along with Aang and Sokka. Aang sneezed, blowing away all of the fur they had been playing with, but they still laughed.

Later, as Sokka and Aang set up the camp, Toph just hung out, hands behind her head. She had her things, she was fine. She felt Sokka looking over at her every once and a while, and Aang would too.

"Any reason you two keep looking at me?" she finally asked. They exchanged a glance.

"It's just…you're just hanging out there while we're setting up camp," Sokka said. "Usually, we divide up the work. You know, like I'm doing the sleeping bags, Aang is setting up the tents…you're just sitting there."

"I can carry my own weight," she responded. "I don't need a fire, I've already collected my own food, and look," she used her earthbending to make a shelter. "My tent's all set up."

"But what about us?" Sokka asked.

"I don't understand what the problem is," she protested.

Aang intervened. "It's just not how we're used to doing things." His tone was quiet, conciliatory. Toph felt him walk over to Sokka. "Sokka, it's fine. Let's not argue over how to make camp. Remember when you and Katara argued over how to set up tents?" Toph raised an eyebrow. "Do you seriously want to argue over chores again?"

She felt Sokka crossing his arms. "Fine," the older boy said grudgingly.

They continued to set up camp, and Toph sat in her earth tent.

It must have been an hour or so later, when Toph was trying to sleep, that she felt it. Her eyes opened, and she sat up quickly, placing a hand on the ground to better feel the vibrations. _What is this thing?_

"There's something coming toward us!" she shouted as she ran out of her tent. Aang and Sokka quickly got up. "What is it?" Aang asked.

"It feels like an avalanche," she described. "But also not an avalanche."

"Your powers of perception are frightening," Sokka sarcastically told her.

Aang shook his head. "I don't know what this thing is, but it's probably best not to wait around and find out. Come on, let's get our stuff back onto Appa."

"Seriously?" she heard Sokka mutter.

Before long, they were back on Appa. Toph, of course, now couldn't feel anything, but apparently Sokka and Aang could see whatever it was.

Eventually, they landed again. She could hear Aang yawning. They had barely had any sleep the night before thanks to Xin Fu and his knucklehead earthbenders, but now this thing was preventing them from sleeping the second night in a row.

She hopped off of Appa, onto the dirt.

"Land! Land, sweet land!" She stood up. "Well, see you guys in the morning!"

She set up her earth tent, and was ready to go to sleep. After a few minutes, however, Aang came over. "Uh, hey, Toph?"

"What do you want, Twinkletoes?"

He scratched the back of his head. "Look, I just want to say sorry. About earlier. It's just…we've always split up the work. Always. And Katara was really uptight about it, so I guess that's just what we're used to."

She crossed her arms. "Fine," she said. "But I don't expect you to drop you way to do what I do. Don't expect me to do the same!"

"Right," Aang acknowledged. He sat down outside of her tent. "Katara tended to be like the big sister of the group. And after we lost her, I think Sokka has kind of seen it as his job to take care of us. He doesn't always do so well, and his cooking is actually kind of awful."

"I heard that!" Sokka shouted.

"But," Aang continued. "He's really just trying to cope with losing her. And I think he kind of channels her sometimes." Aang laughed a bit. "You know, I think if Katara were here, she'd have put up even more of a fight. You'd probably drive each other crazy."

Toph smiled a bit. "So…they once fought over setting up tents?" It sounded like a funny story.

Aang was about to tell her, when Toph felt it. Again. "That thing is back!"

"Well, how far away is it? Maybe we can close our eyes just for a few minutes…" Sokka sounded pretty tired.

"I don't think so, Sokka." Aang sounded nervous now, and once again, they threw their things onto Appa's saddle and took off.

"How does this thing keep finding us?" Toph questioned. She was actually starting to feel pretty tired herself. This thing, whatever it was, was becoming a serious nuisance. And, Toph was starting to find that there was something disturbing about having something follow you around, suddenly appearing when you think you'd lost it.

"I don't know," Aang responded. "But this time, I'm gonna make sure we lose them."

Toph bit back a remark. _How can we lose them when we don't know how they're tracking us?_

* * *

Several hours later, Appa practically crashed down into the mountains. Aang, Sokka, and Toph were thrown out into the ground. This time, they didn't even bother getting their stuff out or making any sort of camp, opting to just move around, and use their sleeping bags as pillows.

"So…does this sort of thing happen to you guys a lot?" Toph asked.

"You have no idea," Sokka told her. "If it can happen, it happens to us. Crazy earthbending kings, angry jerks with ponytails, pirates, admirals that want to kills spirits…" He shook his head. Aang frowned, and turned to Toph.

"I did warn you that it would be dangerous to be with us."

"I know," Toph acknowledged. "I guess I just didn't think we'd find trouble this quickly."

"We didn't find this," Sokka grumbled. "It found us!" As he said this, Momo began making noises, hopping up and down, pointing out towards the mountain. "Oh, don't tell me…"

"That's impossible!" Aang protested. "There's no way they could have tracked us." They had traveled further, he'd been so certain that he had gotten them away from…whatever it was.

"I can feel it with my own two feet," Toph confirmed. The three of them ran up to see the thing coming. Aang could see it more closely now. It looked a little bit similar to a tank.

"Maybe we should face them," he suggested. "Find out who they are. Who know, maybe they're friendly?"

"Always the optimist," Sokka said. Suddenly, the thing opened, and out came the three girls from Omashu.

 _Not friendly_ , Aang thought. _Really, really NOT friendly._

The three girls were riding their mongoose-lizards towards him, Sokka, and Toph. Toph, at least, was confident.

"We can take them!" She glanced at Aang. "We're the Avatar and the Blind Bandit!"

"What about me?!" Sokka said indignantly.

"No bending," Toph said cheerfully.

"Two of those girls have no bending," Sokka said with irritation. "But they're still dangerous!"

Toph used her earthbending to create a wall between them. It was quickly blasted apart by _lightning_.

"Blue fire," Sokka grumbled as they all got onto Appa. "And now lightning. These girls are worse than Zuko!"

"Who's Zuko?" Toph asked as Appa took off.

"Just some angry jerk with a ponytail," Sokka told her.

"He's the Firelord's son," Aang explained. "He's been after me ever since I first got out of the iceberg." Toph frowned.

"So who're these girls, then? You guys have seen them before, apparently."

"In Omashu," Sokka said. "When Aang tried to rescue his friend, King Bumi. These girls were there, and they fought us." Toph crossed her arms.

"I still think we could've taken them."

Aang frowned. "The firebending girl is bad by herself. I mean, with the blue fire…I've never even seen blue fire before, and now lightning?"

"And the non-benders are dangerous, too," Sokka added. "There's the one girl with the knives, and then that one in pink basically paralyzed me las time we fought." He groaned. "Seriously, I never thought I'd miss the days of Zuko."

Aang frowned lightly. Once again, he found himself wondering whatever had happened to the prince.

* * *

Katara woke up slowly, a small smile on her face from her dream. She couldn't fully remember it, but she knew it had been pleasant.

"You're awake," Zuko's low voice brought her more fully to awareness. She opened her eyes and sat up, brushing a bit of hair from her face. She'd have to redo her hair.

"Good morning," she said. Then she blinked, looking to the horizon. The sun wasn't fully up yet. "Morning indeed." She stood up, doing a bit of a stretch. "So I know you firebenders like to wake up super early, but you know I don't usually wake up at this time, right?" They had, after all, spent weeks together.

Zuko offered her a bit of food, and the water pouch, which Katara noticed was fuller than it had been the day before. "Eat quickly," he said simply. "I want to be back on the ostrich-horse with the next fifteen minutes."

Katara raised an eyebrow. "Where'd you get the water?" she asked after taking a sip.

"I found a creek," Zuko answered, pointing. "It seems to be a more wooded area over there."

"Oh," Katara said. That made sense.

"Katara," his voice was serious, and Katara looked over as she ate.

"What is it?" He looked very serious.

He hesitated before speaking. "When I woke up this morning, I believe I saw the Avatar's bison."

Katara froze, food still in her mouth. Her eyes widened, and she slowly swallowed the bit, not taking another.

Aang. And Sokka, too. A small smiled started forming as she realized that, finally, after weeks and weeks of being separated, she was finally close enough to find them. She could finally rejoin her brother and her best friend, assure them that she wasn't dead as they surely believed. She could finally get back on track to helping Aang save the world!

Her smile fell quickly as she looked at Zuko. _Zuko._ She sighed, shaking her head. "You're going after him again, aren't you?"

"Katara," Zuko said, again, looking pained. "You know why I have to."

And you still don't understand why you don't, she thought. She looked away. "Why tell me, then? You have to know, I'd never let you capture Aang."

"I thought you'd like to be reunited with your friends," he said.

She looked back at him, one eyebrow raised. "I would," she agreed. "What's your point?"

He scratched the back of his head. "Well, I'm the one that saw where your friends landed," he pointed out. "If you tried to find them by yourself, you'd just get lost. And I can't just leave you alone here, so…"

"So we'll look for them together, and then…what, fight over Aang once we find him?" Zuko gave a little shrug. "That has got to be the craziest plan I've ever heard," Katara told him bluntly. Then she shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose. "But I suppose it's the only plan that could work out," she admitted. She took a few more bites of food, and redid her hair. In another few minutes, she and Zuko were on the ostrich-horse, heading towards where he had seen Appa.

Katara hoped that Iroh caught up before they could fight.

* * *

They weren't traveling for long before they heard a noise. Zuko made the ostrich-horse stop, staying out of sight as he looked. Ahead of them, there was some sort of machine heading through the wooded area.

"What is that thing?" Katara asked.

"Tank-train," Zuko told her grimly. "From my nation."

Katara blinked. Then Zuko wasn't the only one after her friends. Just perfect. "Uncle Iroh thought Azula may be going after Aang," she noted. "If he's right, then this could be her."

Zuko made the ostrich-horse start following the tank-train. "That wouldn't surprise me," Zuko said bitterly. "I wouldn't put it past her to go after my target just to spite me."

It wouldn't particularly surprise Katara either, she found. "My brother drives me crazy sometimes," she told Zuko. "But at least we aren't like you and Azula."

"At least this makes it easier to find them," Zuko noted. "You can't miss these tracks."

They continued, now followed the tracks left by the Fire Nation's machine. Something was now bothering Katara, though. Finally, she voiced her thoughts. "If we get there, and both Azula and Aang are there, then what will you do?" He didn't answer her for a moment, and she continued. "You can't fight both. And if you fight Aang, then I will fight you, too."

"I don't want really want to fight you," he admitted.

"I don't want to fight you, either."

It was quiet for a moment. "Azula is my priority," he finally decided. "If she's there."

Unseen to him, Katara gave a small smile.

* * *

They crashed.

Appa had fallen asleep as he flew, tired after the night of fleeing from the girls from Omashu. Aang, Sokka, and Toph had also fallen asleep, but thankfully the feeling of falling woke them up, and Aang was able to wake Appa up. They still crashed through trees and hit the ground hard, but at least nobody was hurt. Aang looked at Toph as she got out of Appa's saddle. She hesitated for a moment, frowning at some shed fur she pulled. Aang couldn't help but feel sorry. He hadn't figured that they would find trouble so soon after she joined them, and she looked half-asleep.

"Appa's exhausted," Aang noted. They probably couldn't go any further if they wanted to.

"We've put a lot of distance between us and those girls," Sokka said, taking his sleeping bag and throwing it on the ground. "I think we should follow Appa's lead and get some sleep."

They only took a few more steps before Toph spoke again. "Wait. I don't think it's safe to do that," she said.

Sokka groaned. "Please, please don't tell me those girls have found us _again_?"

"Not yet," Toph assured him. "But I think I've finally figured out how they keep finding us." She stood next to Appa, and grabbed a handful of fur from him. "It's his fur," she told them. "Sheddy here has been leaving a trail everywhere we go!"

Aang felt suddenly, irrationally, angry. "You're blaming Appa!?"

She crossed her arms. "He's got a lot of fur, and it's falling off as we fly," she continued. "If he's shedding anywhere near as much as he was earlier, then we may as well be leaving signs saying 'Avatar over here!' They're probably on their way here as we speak. We're never going to get rid of them while Appa's fur keeps leading them straight to us!"

"She's right, Aang," Sokka agreed, coming up to them. He looked between the two twelve year olds. "We've got to do something to stop them from following us." He let out a big yawn. "You know, unless we just want to keep being woken up."

Aang looked up, grabbing a handful of Appa's loose fur and letting it go. "I think I've got an idea." He looked back over to his friends. "It's time to give Appa a bath. A serious scrubbing and brushing. Hopefully we'll get almost all of his loose fur. I'll collect it and put it in a bag."

"Why collect it?" Toph asked.

"You guys can fly further away on Appa. I'll take the collected fur and make a false trail with my glider."

"Alone?" Sokka asked, suddenly more awake. "Aang, is it really a good idea to split up? If those girls would be chasing you…"

"I won't fight them," Aang told him. "I'll just make a fake trail, and then turn around and then take a different route to meet you guys."

"I'm with Twinkletoes," Toph said, and Aang smiled at her, even though she couldn't see it. "It's the best plan we've got. After all, we need to deal with the fur trail somehow, and get away from them. Unless you'd rather fight them," she added hopefully.

"I'd really rather not," Sokka said. "Alright, we'll go with your plan, Aang. But you," he said to Toph. "Are going to help us giving Appa his bath. You carry your own weight, we get it, but we need help here!"

Toph folded her arms, frowning, but she nodded. "Fine. I'll help. But you two better know how to wash him, cause I don't."

* * *

"You think this is bad," Sokka told her later as they worked together to clean off Appa's loose fur. "You should try cleaning between Appa's toes sometime. You wouldn't think that a flying creature would have such dirty feet."

"I'll take your word for it," Toph told him. They had given Appa as thorough a washing as they could in the stream. Aang used his waterbending to pour water on Appa, while Toph and Sokka scrubbed. Toph worked with Sokka, as she couldn't always tell if she was getting all of Appa's loose fur off. She didn't know how much fur they got off, but she knew that Aang was collecting as much of it as possible.

"You were right," Aang finally said when they finished Appa's bath. He was now carrying a bag full of Appa's fur. "Appa's fur was leaving a trail leading right to us."

"Told you so," she said a bit smugly, crossing her arms.

"Right, thanks. Anyways, now that he's clean, no more trail!"

"Except for your decoy trail."

"You're sure he's not going to crash again, right?" Sokka asked. "He fell asleep earlier, and I don't think he's really gotten enough rest since then…"

"He'll be fine," Aang assured him. "Just so long as we leave his saddle and our stuff here…"

"Whoa, what?" Toph's eyes widened a bit. "You want us to ride Appa without the saddle?" She looked vaguely green.

"It'll be fine. Just hold on tight to his fur." Toph still looked uncertain.

"I'll be there, too," Sokka reminded her. "If anything goes wrong, I'll catch you."

Now Toph found herself blushing. "You make me sound like some sort of damsel," she said, crossing her arms. But she got up on Appa with Sokka, clinging tightly to Appa's fur. When Appa launched up, she clasped the fur even tighter.

"You know," she said to Sokka. "I really didn't think flying could be much worse. I guess Aang just had to prove me wrong."

"That sort of thing happens to me all the time."

* * *

Their paths were all converging, now.

Iroh sat behind a boulder, observing the beginning of another sunset as he thought. He had quickened his pace after Katara had left, and had passed through a town that Zuko had passed through. The villagers had been wary of him. Apparently, Zuko had not only revealed himself as a firebender, but as the son of Ozai as well. It was moments such as that that Iroh felt weary, exasperated at his nephews foolishness. Still, it had been interesting to learn that Katara had apparently defended him from the angry villagers.

Iroh had followed them as quickly as he could.

He had also seen the Avatar's bison, and felt certain that Zuko had as well. He would be in pursuit, Katara likely with him to rejoin her friends.

And now, he had seen the tracks of a Fire Nation tank. Someone was in the chase, and he was willing to bet that it was Azula. After Zuko, or after the Avatar, either way they would meet.

Their paths were all merging, and Iroh knew it would explode. He did not intend on allowing his nephew, or Katara, to face this threat without him.

* * *

Katara and Zuko reached the stream in the forest, and Zuko hopped off of the ostrich-horse. The Fire Nation machine had been diverted, apparently after releasing three animals. Eelhounds or mongoose-lizards, Zuko had reckoned. Or a similar animal. He and Katara were following those tracks.

"They've split up," he told her as she got off of the ostrich-horse. He pointed. "Two of them have gone that way," pointing across the stream, where the trees seem to have been broken. "And one has gone in this direction." He knelt down, picking something white up. "The bison's fur," he noted.

Katara took it from his hand. "It is spring, I suppose. Many animals shed during this time." She looked over to the trees, and then at the fur on the ground. "Weird. I would say that Appa was going in the way of those trees, knocking them down as he flew, but the fur trail goes this way…"

Zuko nodded. "I think you're right. It's a decoy," he realized. He looked back over to the trees. "If the bison is shedding, that'd probably how my sister has been tracking him. If he realized this, then I bet he's leaving a fake trail."

"Doesn't seem like she fell for it," Katara said, frowning. "Since two of those animals were going in the direction Appa went." Sokka would be the one flying Appa, and now being chased by…who?

Zuko shrugged. "The Avatar would be the one leaving the fake trail, and my sister would have realized that. We go this way." He went to get back onto the ostrich-horse, but Katara quickly grabbed his wrist. She blushed, and withdrew her hand.

"Give me the water pouch. I can fill it up here."

"There still enough water in there."

"Not for drinking." She rolled her eyes. "For fighting Azula. Waterbender, remember."

Zuko looked slightly embarrassed. "Oh. Right." He handed her the water pouch.

In another minute, they were back in pursuit.

* * *

"Oh no," Sokka groaned loudly.

"Let me guess," Toph said dryly, face still green. "The girls still managed to find us?"

"Yeah," Sokka said. He was at Appa's reins, trying to make Appa go faster. Sadly, it seemed that the bison was still too tired. "Not good, not good!" He looked ahead, thinking of how to get away from those girls. "We just need to make it across that river," he figured.

"And that's how far exactly?"

"Not far." Toph felt them hit something, probably a tree, and in a few moments after that they collided with the ground. "Did we make it across?"

"We made it! We're safe," he assured her. They both leapt off of Appa, and despite the situation, Toph felt relieved to be able to 'see' again. She felt across the river, the girls on the mongoose-lizards still coming towards them, the creatures running across the water.

"I think you spoke too soon!" She tried to block them off by raising the earth. Despite this, in a moment, Toph felt one of the girls landing nearby. "Fine," she said, frowning on concentration. "You want to fight? Good, cause so do I!" She moved the ground beneath the feet of the girl, but the girl was barely affected, her balance too good to be easily disrupted. The girl came closer to her, but Toph felt Sokka throw his boomerang. It hit the girl, momentarily sending her to the ground.

The other girl quickly joined them, throwing knives at them. Toph raised a barrier between them, and felt the knives hitting her shield. She tried launching it at the knife-girl. She felt the other girl coming back after her, getting in close. Before she could react, the girl had hit her in one of her arms. She quickly knocked her away by launching her with a bit of earth.

The arm that had been hit, however, felt numb, and when Toph tried moving it, it didn't respond. _Oh, right_ , she recalled. _Sokka did say that one of these girls paralyzed him last time they saw them._

She felt Sokka struggling with knife-girl, apparently getting himself pinned to a tree. The other girl came up close to Toph again, and Toph attempted to keep her from getting close again, but this girl was a near match for Aang in moving around in the air. Finally, the girl got through and hit Toph several time.

"Hey, what're you-!?" Toph hit the ground.

She couldn't move either of her arms now, and it was worse than that, even. She couldn't feel the earth. She couldn't feel the vibrations, where the girls were. Moving her foot, she found the ground unresponsive.

She couldn't bend,

"I thought when Ty Lee and I finally caught you guys, it would be more exciting," she heard one of the girls saying in a near monotone. "Oh, well. Victory is boring." As soon as this girl said this, Toph heard Appa growl and heard the girls scream as a gust of wind went through the air. Judging by the splash, the two of them had been tossed into the river.

"Ha!" she shouted. "How's that for victory, huh?"

It still felt a bit empty, though, considering that she was on the ground, unable to move, unable to 'see' her surroundings. She heard Sokka struggle to get himself unpinned from the tree. Finally, he succeeded, and in a moment, she was lifted up.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I can't move," she told him. He pulled her up, leaning down and flinging one of her arms around his neck.

"It'll pass," he promised. "That girl, Ty Lee, did the same thing to me back in Omashu. It'll wear off in a few minutes." Toph was still silent, and a little worried. "Is something else wrong?"

"My bending's gone," she told him in a slightly panicked voice. "One moment I had it, and then when she hit me, my bending disappeared."

Sokka was speechless for a moment. "I didn't know that was possible," he finally said. "I mean, I know benders can lose their abilities under certain circumstances, like certain eclipses and things. But a person taking bending away?" Sokka was quiet for another moment. "It isn't permanent when she paralyzes you, I doubt this bending-blocking she does is permanent, either."

"What if it is?" Toph momentarily worried.

"It won't be," Sokka assured her. "Let's just give this a few minutes." He pulled her up onto Appa.

"There were only two of the girls here," Toph noted. "The firebender went after Aang." She knitted her eyebrows together. "Do you think he'll be okay?"

"He wasn't going to fight her," Sokka said. "The plan was to lead her away, and then come back to us."

"Does he always follow a plan exactly?"

Sokka was quiet for a moment. "We'd better go look for him," Sokka finally said. "I'll hold onto you, but do you mind if we start flying?"

"Go ahead," Toph said. "I'll just be lying here, not moving, like a bag of unbendable dirt." After a few more minutes, Toph began feeling her hands again, and flexed her fingers slowly. "I think some feeling is finally returning."

"Told you so. What about your bending?"

"I don't know," she said. "Once we're on the ground, I check by throwing a rock at the firebender." She frowned. "I suppose I can't discount non-benders ever again," she admitted. "Bender or not, that girl is the most dangerous person I've met."

"Thank you," Sokka said.

"Well, I didn't say you were dangerous…"

* * *

Aang knew the plan was to make the trail, and then return to Toph and Sokka, but he was done with running. These girls had followed him all the way from Omashu, and he wanted to know who they were. They were Fire Nation, and that was probably why they were chasing him. But that firebending girl seemed vaguely familiar. So instead of returning to his friends, he sat and waited.

The girl same, as he knew she would. She had a cold, satisfied smirk as she got off of her mongoose-lizard. "Alright, you've caught up with me! No who are you and what do you want?"

"You mean you haven't guessed? You don't see the family resemblance? Here's a hint." She covered her left eye with her hand. "I must find the Avatar to restore my honor." She was Zuko's sister, then. Or so Aang figured. She seemed the right age, unless Zuko had cousins. He knew she had felt familiar, and he supposed this was why. "It's okay. You can laugh. It's funny." _Not really_ , he thought.

"So what now?" he asked.

"Now," she answered. "Now, it's over! You're tired and you have no place to go. You can run, but I'll catch you!"

Aang stood up. "I'm not running." Zuko's sister smirked. He held his staff, prepared to fight.

"Do you really want to fight me?"

Suddenly, an ostrich-horse ran between them, two people jumping down from it.

"Yes, I really do!" a familiar voice said. Zuko. He stood between Aang and his sister, on Aang's right.

Aang's eyes widened. "Zuko?!" He hadn't seen the Fire Nation prince since the North Pole. _I knew he was alive, somewhere._ But now he wanted to fight his sister?

Aang looked to the other person that had been on the ostrich-horse with Zuko, and Aang's eyes looked as though they were about to pop from their sockets. _It can't be…_

"I was wondering when you'd show up, Zu-zu," Zuko's sister said. If it weren't for the fourth person there, Aang may have laughed, but his attention was too focused on the other new person. Long, though not as long as it had been, brown hair, pulled back into a ponytail. Brown skin, adorned with green Earth Kingdom robes.

Aang recalled his vision from the swamp. _Katara. But it's not possible…is it?_

Zuko's sister turned to the girl ( _Katara?_ ). "I see you brought your pet," she said viciously.

"You know," the girl snapped, and Aang took a step forward as he recognized the voice. Katara. _It really is her. I don't know how, but it's her._ "I've never actually wanted to slap anyone in the face in my life−and then I met you!"

"Katara?" Aang called. She looked back, and he smiled as she gave a small one.

"Hey, Aang."

He had so many questions. How was she alive? How did she and Zuko's sister know each other? Why was she with Zuko? But those questions, it seemed, would have to wait.

"Back off, Azula!" Zuko took a fighting stance, facing his sister, now identified as Azula. "He's mine." Aang raised an eyebrow, taking his own stance. Katara was already in hers, facing Azula. She didn't seem too concerned about Zuko, even after his declaration that Aang was 'his'.

"I'm not going anywhere," Azula said. Zuko glanced back and forth between them, Azula, Aang, and even Katara. Katara was mostly focused on Azula, but she once looked at Zuko, and gave him a slight nod.

Zuko made the first attack, sending several balls of fire to his sister. It did little, it did nothing. She dispersed it with ease, and made her own attack, sending Zuko into the ruins of a building. Katara took water out of her water pouch, slapping Azula once, before having to dodge a rather large blast. Aang also attempted to fight, being blasted away. Azula made a large pillar of fire that she brought down, separating Katara from Aang and Zuko. What occurred over the next few moments was, in Aang's opinion, nothing short of crazy, as Azula went back and forth between throwing fire at Aang and Zuko, as they threw air and fire at her.

 _Family dinners must be awful in their family_ , he noted.

Finally, Zuko was blasted again, but Azula's leg was pulled from under her by Katara, who Aang saw looked furious. Despite momentarily being grounded, Azula kicked a ball of fire at Aang, knocking him upwards, into the old buildings.

Jumping back up, Azula launched a huge blast of fire at Katara, who tried to form a water shield, but the fire was too large…

Zuko, up again, pushed her out of the way while dispersing some of the flame.

Aang blinked. _This must be the weirded fight I've ever been in. And that's saying something._

Azula was preparing another blow, but Aang quickly blew a strong gust of wind at her.

"I'm over here!" he shouted at her. He momentarily considered sticking his butt in the air. _But_ , he figured as he dodged more fire, that's not necessary. _And it would probably end painfully._

Aang was blasted through another building, and as he was on the ground, he noticed Zuko fighting his sister. She blasted him to the ground, and from what Aang saw, Zuko was unconscious. She turned her attention back to him. Aang hopped to the top of a building, but she sliced through it with her fire, and he fell to the inside. She came in, surrounding the room with fire.

Just when Aang thought he was done for, Katara appeared in the doorway, pulling at Azula's hand with her water, and releasing Aang from the debris pinning him down.

"Katara!"

She momentarily grinned at him, before running as Azula turned her attention to her. Aang got up, following them out, and blasting Azula with a gust of wind. Azula threw fire in return, but Katara quickly extinguished it.

In another moment, Azula experienced the unpleasantness of being hit in the head with a boomerang. She punched another bit of fire at Katara before running off. Aang and Katara turned to look at Sokka, who was looking in shock at his not dead sister.

"Is this another hallucination?" he asked quietly.

"Sokka!" Katara's grin was large, but she quickly turned over to follow Azula.

"Do you see that?" Sokka worriedly asked Aang.

"She's real," Aang confirmed. "She's alive!"

"She is alive," Sokka's voice was now happier, though still stunned.

They followed Azula, and Katara made the first move, throwing several sharp icicles her head. Grabbing her attention, the three of them tag-teamed her. Aang couldn't help but smile a bit. It had been so long since it had been him, Katara, and Sokka. Now, the original team was back together.

It felt sort of lucky, and for the first time since they'd noticed they were being followed, Aang suddenly felt certain that this _would_ end well. Suddenly, the ground moved from beneath Azula, throwing her into the dirt. Toph walked up, smiling.

"You were right, Sokka," she said. "My bending is definitely back." She smirked. "Back and ready to kick some firebender butt!" Aang blinked. _Back? What did that mean?_

With the four of them against her, Azula began running away. Aang and his friend pursued her. Her attempt to flee was halted when she ran into an older mad. Aang blinked. It was the other Fire Nation man, the general who was with Zuko. Aang remembered how this man had put his foot down when Zhao wanted to kill the Moon Spirit at the North Pole. And now, here he was again, with Zuko, who was conscious once more.

Six of them, now. All against Azula.

It was a strange moment. It occurred to Aang that all nations were represented here, bender and non-bender alike. Even the Fire Nation was fighting the Fire Nation today.

Aang briefly wondered what it meant that the Firelord's children were fighting each other.

The six of them had Azula cornered. "Well, look at this," she said. "Enemies and traitors, all working together. I'm done. I know when I'm beaten." She raised her hands in surrender. "You've got me. A princess surrenders with honor." Nobody made a move. After a few moments, though, Azula struck the Fire Nation general down. Aang heard Zuko and Katara both let out sounds of shock and anger, and they all turned to attack Azula at once, everyone attacking with their element, or in the case of Sokka, boomerang. It was something of a satisfying moment, Aang supposed, in that all four elements were combined in one attack.

But it didn't work.

There was only an explosion, and when the dust settled, Azula was gone.

She would come back to trouble them on another day.

* * *

Katara momentarily glared at the spot where Azula had been just moments before. That girl seemed to get worse every time Katara saw or heard of her. And now…Iroh. Katara was ready to turn to see if she could heal him when she was nearly knocked down by her brother. Sokka grabbed and hugged her tightly, so tightly she could barely breathe. He actually picked her up, and put her back down.

"We thought you were dead," he said in her ear. There was a crack in his voice. He finally stepped back, and she could see tears in his eyes. "We searched all over for you, but we couldn't find you. We were sure had died." He hugged her again, and she returned it.

"Oh, Sokka. I'm so sorry," she found that her throat hurt a bit.

"How did you survive?" Aang asked, coming forward and hugging her. "And how did you end up with _Zuko_?"

"What?" Sokka asked. He looked to Aang. Then he looked to Katara, and then back to Aang again. "What do you mean, with Zuko?"

"She and Zuko showed up together," Aang told Sokka. "On the same ostrich-horse."

Sokka looked horrified. "What? Katara, what happened? Did he hurt you? Hold you hostage?"

"Sokka, I'm fine," Katara told him. "Actually, you have Zuko to thank for me being alive."

"What?!"

She nodded. "After I got caught in that wave, Zuko rescued me. I've been with him and his uncle ever since." She frowned. "I originally intended on meeting up with you guys at Omashu, but…"

"Conquered," Sokka finished. He scratched his head. He was smiling again. "I'm still expecting to wake up. This just seems too good to be true."

Katara hugged him again. "I'm real," she assured him. She hugged Aang again, too. "I'm so sorry to cause you so much grief."

"It's okay," Aang said. "You're here again, and you're alive." He smiled. "It's more than we could've asked for."

"So…I'm guessing you're Sokka's dead sister, who apparently isn't dead?" the earthbender asked. Katara nodded.

"Katara," she introduced herself, offering her hand to the girl. She looked around Aang's age. Katara noticed that her eyes looked clouded over.

"Toph," the girl introduced, taking Katara's hand. _If she is blind_ , Katara noted, _it sure doesn't slow her down any._

"Well," Sokka said cheerfully, taking Katara's hand and attempting to drag her. "Now that we've all hugged and everything, can we go now?"

Katara blinked, and pulled her hand away. She looked over to Uncle Iroh and Zuko. Iroh was unconscious on the ground, and Zuko was kneeling over him. Katara shook her head, sighing.

She closed her eyes.

For weeks, she had been trying to get back to Sokka and Aang.

Now, the moment came where she could leave with them. And she couldn't.

"I can't leave them," she said quietly.

"What?" Sokka's voice was so disappointed. Katara opened her eyed, looking straight at him. He looked as heartbroken as he sounded. "What do you mean you can't leave them?"

"Exactly what I said, Sokka. I can't leave them. Not right now."

Sokka shook his head. Aang took a step toward her. "But we just got back together!" He sounded incredibly hurt. He looked like he was about to cry. The last thing Katara wanted was to hurt her brothers, but she had to make them understand… "Now you're going to leave us again!?"

"I never wanted to leave you to begin with!" Katara reminded them. Aang's eyes widened, and he took a step back, blinking.

"But now you're choosing to leave us!" Sokka shouted. "How can you choose… _them_ over us?!"

"I am NOT choosing them over you!" she matched his tone. "And what makes you think I have to 'choose'?"

"They're our enemies, Katara!" Sokka seemed to lose it. "We are talking about Prince Zuko, the angry jerk with the ponytail, and his uncle, the two of whom chased us from one pole to the other! Royals of the Fire Nation! The people who we are fighting! Why don't you understand this?!"

"You don't know them!" Katara thought of all of her experiences with Iroh and Zuko, everything she had come to know and understand about them. She thought of Iroh, who secretly supported Aang, and hoped to guide Zuko onto the same path. "They may be Fire Nation," Katara said firmly, but more calmly. "But they are good people. I know we've fought, but Zuko is…Zuko is honorable, and he has a sense of justice. He gets confused sometimes…"

"Confused?!" Sokka's tone was indignant.

"But he's ultimately good-hearted," Katara concluded, ignoring Sokka. "And Uncle Iroh−"

"Did you seriously just call him _uncle_?!"

"You try spending weeks with him without coming to care about him," Katara responded. She balled her fist. "Iroh is the kindest, wisest, friendliest man I have ever had the fortune to meet." She pointed behind her. "And right now, he's hurt! But I can heal him. I won't leave them right now," Katara declared. "I'm not leaving them until I know they're safe." Sokka still looked flabbergasted, but at least his anger seemed to be dying down. He just shook his head silently. Toph hung out behind the boys, arms crossed, listening, but not offering her opinion on the situation. Aang looked like he had realized something. He stepped towards her, looking behind her at Iroh and Zuko.

"Are you friends with them?" He, at least, didn't sound upset about it. He didn't look angry, or hurt about it.

Katara thought of her time with Iroh and Zuko. Talking about plays, and their mothers, and how they had saved her life. There was trust between them now, and a bond which drove her to saty, even as she had the opportunity to leave them to be with Aang and Sokka. "Yes," she said softly. "We are friends." Aang looked slightly mystified.

He smiled. "I'm glad," he told her, and Sokka made a scandalized sound. "I once asked Zuko if we could be friends. He just shot fire at me."

Katara raised an eyebrow. "Would this be after he rescued you from Zhao?"

"What?" Sokka asked. "That never happened." He blinked, looking at Aang. He shook his head as Aang didn't deny it. "You're telling me about this later," he told Aang. Katara raised both eyebrows now.

"Sokka," Aang said suddenly. "This is my vision. The one from the swamp."

Sokka's eyes widened.

"Vision?" Katara questioned.

"Aang had visions of you and Toph while we were in a swamp populated by people that don't wear pants and eat bugs," Sokka bluntly summarized. "You know, the usual sort of stuff." Sokka was joking, but his arms were still crossed, his voice tense, and he was avoiding her eyes.

"I saw bits of this conversation," Aang told everyone. "I never understood what the vision was supposed to be telling me. But now I think I understand." He turned to Sokka. "I think Katara is supposed to stay with them."

"No!" Sokka rounded on Aang. "How can you say that?! Don't you want her back?!"

"Of course I want her back! You know how much I missed her. But she doesn't want to come back now."

As Sokka and Aang exchanged heated words, Katara teared up. Distressed, she looked back to Zuko and Iroh. Zuko was now trying to move Iroh, probably to find better shelter as he tried to treat Iroh's wound. _I can treat it better_ , she knew. She looked back to her brother and Aang, taking a step forward. "They need me, Aang," she said calmly, looking also to her brother. "He needs me. I can't leave them now."

"This is my vision," Aang said. "I'm telling you, we're supposed to let Katara stay. The vision was telling me to let her go."

"I'm with Twinkletoes," Toph suddenly spoke up. Katara blinked. _Twinkletoes?_ "Look, I'm new to these adventures you guys seem familiar with, but Aang did say his vision of me helped you guys find me. It led him to me. Now he had this vision of Katara? I think Aang knows what he's doing here, Sokka. And if you're worried that she'd be in danger," Toph added. "Don't be. She's been with them this long, and they haven't hurt her yet. Plus, from what I've heard, Katara is more than capable of handling herself." Toph sent Katara a smile, which Katara returned.

"Thanks, Toph." She turned to Sokka, who now seemed to be the only one unconvinced.

He shook his head sadly. "Dad told me to protect you," he said sadly. "I already failed once. How can you ask me to let you go off with a pair of firebenders?"

"I know Dad asked you to protect me," Katara said, taking her brother's hands. "But now I'm asking you to trust me. Trust that I know them, because I do. Trust that I can protect myself."

Sokka's eyebrows were pulled together, and he looked like he was still about to protest, but finally, he looked away, and gave a tight nod.

"When will we see each other again?" He looked to her again. "If I have to let you go now, then I need to know that we will be reunited again."

Katara looked over to where Zuko was moving Iroh again. She recalled talking to Iroh about his plans. "Ba Sing Se," she told her brother. "It's a long story, but those two are fugitives of the Fire Nation now. They're going to go to Ba Sing Se, and I'll stay with them until then, where they'll be safe. Meet me there."

Sokka nodded, and then pulled Katara into another tight hug. She returned it. "I can't wait to see you again," he told her. Pulling back, he offered a small smile. "Keep out of trouble, okay? And if those two give you any trouble, kick their butts for me."

He began to walk away. Aang came up next, also hugging her. "Thanks for backing me up, Aang," she said. "I'll miss you."

He offered her a smile. "It won't take too long to get to Ba Sing Se," he told her. "This'll be nothing compared to thinking you were dead for almost two months." He looked over to Iroh and Zuko contemplatively, then looked back to Katara. "This is destiny. I'm sure of it." Then he went to join Sokka.

Toph stayed behind. "Good luck," the young earthbender said. "And I'm glad you're alive. I haven't known those two for long, but I could tell they missed you."

"Are you teaching Aang earthbending?" Katara questioned.

"Haven't gotten the chance to teach him anything," Toph said. "But that's the plan. Anyways, see you in Ba Sing Se." She frowned as she turned. "I hate cities," Katara heard her mutter as she left to join Aang and Sokka.

Katara watched for a few moments as they left. For so long, her goal had been to reunite with them, and now she chose to stay with Zuko and Iroh. She had done so before, she knew, but this was the first time she acknowledged them as friends. If one had asked her a few weeks ago if she would ever choose to stay with Iroh and Zuko instead of going with Aang and Sokka, she wouldn't have told them, never.

How things change, she noted as she turned to go catch up with Zuko.

* * *

Zuko found a building on the outskirts of town, facing the sunset. He put Iroh down, taking off Iroh's top. They had bandages, at least, and he took them out. He looked at the wound, wincing as he looked at the burn.

All firebenders learned the basics of treating burns when they were young. Of course they did, it would remarkably foolish not to, given how dangerous even the most basic of training accidents could be. But Zuko wasn't sure that he was cut out for this sort of wound.

"I can help," and unexpected voice came. Zuko's eyes widened as he looked at the door opening.

"Katara?" He couldn't believe it. But there she was, and she came in. "What…what are you doing here?"

"I can help him," she said quietly. She took some water out of the water pouch, and surrounded her hand with it.

"What are you doing?" he asked. She knelt down, and placed her hands onto Uncle Iroh's wound. To Zuko's astonishment, the water began glowing blue. "W-what?"

"Some waterbenders have healing abilities," Katara told him. "I happen to be one of those."

Zuko's eyes widened, and he looked back down to his uncle. The two of them were silent as Katara worked on Iroh's wound. After a while, she took the water out, putting it back into the pouch. "I think that's about all I can do for now," she said. "But I think I was able to heal a lot of it."

Zuko look at the wound. It was mostly healed. What had previously been a dangerous burn, straight through Iroh's skin and organs, now appeared to be little more than a bad sunburn. "You really did," he noted, amazement in his voice. He looked back to her, impressed. "Thank you, Katara. Thank you so much."

She offered a smile, touching his hand with hers. "I'm glad I could help."

"What about your friends?" he questioned. "If you're here, then does that mean…they left without you? You chose to stay here?"

"I did," Katara confirmed.

"But why? I thought you wanted to be back with your friends."

"I did. And I still do. But I couldn't rejoin them when I knew that my other friends needed me."

Zuko's eyes widened, and he once again looked to her. It was an interesting experience, as though suddenly seeing her for the first time. Suddenly, she wasn't just the waterbender he saved, or the friend of the Avatar, or the girl who refused to go along with him stealing. This was Katara, his friend, who he cared about, who cared about him. Who traveled through the desert and defended him against the village he helped. Katara, who understood the loss of a mother.

Katara, who had the chance to leave him for the Avatar and her brother, and instead chose to come back and heal his uncle.

They set up what they could, identifying where there was food and water in the nearby area. They made Iroh as comfortable a place as they could.

As they worked, Zuko kept glancing at Katara. Once, he even smiled a little.

Whatever came next, he was glad to have Katara there with him.

 **End Part 2**

 **Woot!  
There goes Part 2, guys, hope you liked it! Or at least tolerated it. I'm thinking part 3 will, over all, be better than part 2.**

 **1\. Time fore some polishing! I'm going to try to fix as much as I can. Spelling, typos, grammar, maybe some rewriting, though noting major, also some messing around with chapters. I'm thinking I'm going to merge chapters 10 and 11.**

 **2\. Part 3 things to look forward to: More Zutara! Also, the development of Taang! Bit of Sukka. Also, Jet! :D I'm gonna be having fun with Jet in this story. Which, by the way, also leads into the fact that there's definitely going to be less rehashing of canon in part 3. Which will be fun.**

 **3\. Axel: I definitely agree with your assessment of Kataang, and that's part of why I just can't ship it. True, Aang matured towards the end of the series, but so did Katara. Plus, she never dropped her big sister/mother attitude with him. Which drives me crazy, because my personal philosohpy for a good romance is this: a good pairing shouldn't have to completely change their relationship when they become a couple. So with Kataang, is she still being a sister to him but also making out with him...or did their relationship completely change?**

 **And don't get me started on Maiko. I think I actually dislike that pairing even more.**

 **4\. Ty Lee, Kyoshi Warrior: I'm hoping to finish this before I'm done polishing.**

 **5\. Untitled Zutara, Taang fic: another bit of inspiration.**

 **This one is one I'm thinking of doing. I haven't even decided, so you could tell me if you think it's worthwhile in a review or something.**

 **The basic idea is to show how season three could've gone with Taang and Zutara as the pairings. It would be a smaller project than this or my big Ty Lee fic. It would mostly be taking certain episodes and moments, readjusting them to finish with a Zutara/Taang Sozin's Comet. WITHOUT altering anything in season 2.**

 **6\. Untitled Ty Lee fic:**

 **Reviews and polls are saying completely different things. Reviews say Ty Lokka, poll says Ty Laang.**

 **I'm also officially narrowing down choices.  
Ty Luko: This romance would be later in the fic, based off of Ty Lee's better connecting to Zuko. In this fic, she would also be sympathetic to him betraying the Fire Nation, because she did too. (Not a huge spoiler for this fic, I assure you. She does it in chapter 1.)**

 **Ty Lokka: As in canon, she does quickly decide he's 'cute', and develop a crush on him quickly (initially unrequited). There will be competition with Suki. Eventually, it develops into Ty Lokka. This one is notable in that it would be the fastest appearing pairing for the fic. All the other ones would only start later in the fic, whereas this one would become apparent fairly quickly.**

 **Mai Lee: Childhood friends turned romance. Probably the latest appearing, since Ty Lee changed sides way before canon, while Mai is still with Azula. Ergo, interaction is halted for much of the fic.**

 **Ty Laang: If they aren't the main pairing of this fic, they are going to be best friends forever. They are gonna be spending a LOT of time together, paired or not. Like in canon, Aang will still start out having a huge crush on Katara. Ty Lee won't be interested in him. But, as they spend time together, they bond over certain things. And, after a while, Aang falls out of his crush on Katara, and in love with Ty Lee, who comes to reciprocate.**

 **:P  
Take your pick, guys. I've got Ideas for all of these, and I can't do all of them.**

 **Well, I could, but most readers, I don't think, are particularly into that sort of thing.**

 **7\. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Up next: Part 3!**


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